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Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

phys.org

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Re: Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

#31

Post by zellyn »

I love the idea of finding enzymes that break down plastics. I also like to imagine the post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi short story possibilities of accidentally releasing something that breaks down _all_ plastic!

Imagine my delight in reading this:

    At the molecular level, PET46 is very similar to another enzyme, ferulic 
    acid esterase. This degrades the natural polymer lignin in plant cell walls
    by breaking down lignin polymers to release sugars from woody plant parts.
    Lignin and PET have many structural similarities, so the PET-degrading
    enzymes found in nature may be important for composting wood in forest
    soils, for example.
Now, join me in imagining the post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi short story possibilities of accidentally releasing something that breaks down all plastic _and_ all plants! I mean, until some of them finally adapt.

Re: Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

#32

Post by lanstin »

zellyn wrote: post #31

I love the idea of finding enzymes that break down plastics. I also like to imagine the post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi short story possibilities of accidentally releasing something that breaks down _all_ plastic! Imagine my delight in reading this: At the molecular level, PET46 is very similar to another enzyme, ferulic acid esterase. This degrades the natural polymer lignin in plant cell walls by breaking down lignin polym…

Unlike the plastic substrate of modern technological society, plants have survived hundreds of millions of years of efforts by the rest of the biosphere to eat them.

Re: Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

#34

Post by testfoobar »

gilleain wrote: post #3

Slightly misleading headline, as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) hydrolases were already known - see https://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/PETase/PETaseh.htm This is a study of an archaeal enzyme (from the deep-sea) that can degrade both long-chain and short-chain polymers that is more efficient at 70 deg C than other enzymes. The details are that this is a feruloyl esterase with a conserved alpha/beta-hydrolase fold but…

"this is a feruloyl esterase with a conserved alpha/beta-hydrolase fold but with an additional flexible 'lid' domain that covers the active site"

As educated as I think I am, it is always humbling to read a hacker news comment that I cannot understand.

ELI5?

Re: Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

#35

Post by digging »

capableweb wrote: post #20
gilleain wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, fair enough. I just thought people might read it as "Enzyme with new ability (to break down PET) discovered", but maybe I was being pessimistic.

It's also mentioned in the article body: > Until now, about 80 different PET-degrading enzymes were known, most of which were found in bacteria or fungi.

Most of us aren't reading the body though.

Re: Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

#36

Post by digging »

hutzlibu wrote: post #29
multiplegeorges wrote: post #6

So dumping all our plastic in the sea will work out! /s It seems like these discoveries are coming quickly and in higher numbers. Maybe there's hope in recycling/processing plastics down simpler molecules after all. Currently, recycling plastic is a bit of a lie -- very little of it is actually recycled.

"Currently, recycling plastic is a bit of a lie -- very little of it is actually recycled." Depends where you live and what you consider recycling. If you mean, making new plastics out of the old, than the challenge is, that there are many, many different plastics you cannot just melt in and reuse if mixed together. A annoying, but working solution here in germany is a mandated bottle bill. Meaning you pay 25 cent ex…

> And for the rest, the most pragmatic solution is burning it for energy.

I really wish we'd do more of this. I know it's not ideal, but we in the US need to treat plastic like the trash that it (mostly) is. And trash is just fuel. Instead we have convenient single-stream recycling which means all our actual recyclables also end up in the trash and/or oceans.

Re: Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

#38

Post by digging »

monocasa wrote: post #9
ginko wrote: post #2

Now splice this into the genome of black mold and release it in a coca-cola bottling plant.

Less fun, PET is heavily used in medical devices including implants. There's a huge cut to life expectancy if it becomes a secondary food source for something like an engineered MSRA strain.

More reason to be furious at plastic peddling billionaires. They made us hostages. We still have to stop them, but it's going to hurt even more.

Re: Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

#39

Post by digging »

hanniabu wrote: post #15
hansvm wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Humans are pretty adaptable. If half our stuff did become useless do you think that might put a damper on rampant consumerism?

It would increase consumerism since everything would need to be replaced on a periodic basis

Everything? I think instead, we'll just stop making most things out of plastics. We have longer-lasting, more durable materials than plastics already, for when you want something that will actually survive decades or generations. They're metals and woods and stones.

Some things, like wire coatings, will still likely need to be plastic and will become disposable. But most uses of plastic for long-lasting goods will just stop using plastics. Goods will get much heavier, but more durable.

Re: Newly discovered deep-sea enzyme breaks down PET plastic

#40

Post by zellyn »

lanstin wrote: post #32
zellyn wrote: post #31

I love the idea of finding enzymes that break down plastics. I also like to imagine the post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi short story possibilities of accidentally releasing something that breaks down _all_ plastic! Imagine my delight in reading this: At the molecular level, PET46 is very similar to another enzyme, ferulic acid esterase. This degrades the natural polymer lignin in plant cell walls by breaking down lignin polym…

Unlike the plastic substrate of modern technological society, plants have survived hundreds of millions of years of efforts by the rest of the biosphere to eat them.

True, although I believe dredging up unusual enzymes from the stygian depths facilitates new and exciting dystopian storylines.
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