Researchers working for Carbios, a firm based in France, have created an enzyme that breaks down plastic. The scientists believe the enzyme could eventually make plastics biodegradable.
PET hydrolase is a bacterial enzyme that can break down plastic bottles into chemical parts, and then be used to manufacture other plastic bottles. There are drawbacks, however, as PET bottles have to be processed, heated and ground up before they can be broken down – which means an increased cost for the material. It is hoped the enzyme will be produced on an industrial level by 2024.
The research has been published in the journal Nature. Carbios (Euronext Growth Paris: ALCRB) a company pioneering biodegradable’ new bio-industrial solutions to reinvent the lifecycle of plastic and textile polymers, will conduct this enzymatic recycling of PET at its plant near Lyon. The first phase of the system operations is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2021.
This will allow Carbios to establish the complete engineering documents for the process, from waste to monomers, for the construction and implementation of the first industrial unit for a licensee (estimated capacity of 50-100kt per year).