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2024-08-31
Dr. Jeong-ho Ahn’s research team at the Clean Energy Research Center of the Korea
Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed a technology to biodegrade the
plastic material polyethylene, a widely used in daily life, using enzymes derived from
microorganisms. Polyethylene is a non-biodegradable plastic that accounts for 35% of the
plastic produced each year.
The research team focused on enzymes that break down lipids chemically similar to
polyethylene, utilizing synthetic biology to identify "Pelosinus fermentans lipase 1 (PFL1)".
This enzyme is derived from the anaerobic bacterium Pelosinus fermentans and is effective
in lipid degradation.
Testing the enzyme on polyethylene resulted in a 44.6% reduction in weight-average
molecular weight and an 11.3% reduction in number-average molecular weight, indicating
significant biodegradation. Additionally, the surface tearing and cracking on the polyethylene
observed under an electron microscopy. This enzyme can be produced in bulk from
renewable materials without generating toxic substances. Furthermore, the byproducts of
polyethylene biodegradation can be repurposed for plastic re-synthesis and chemical material
production