Compost microbe yields enzyme that tackles polyurethane foam and nylon
Researchers from Aarhus University and the Danish Technological Institute have taken a new approach in the search for enzymes capable of breaking down some of the most difficult types of plastic to recycle. They collected millions of bacteria from a landfill in Kenya, Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo, the guts of larvae and a compost heap near Aarhus—and examined their enzymes. They found 12 that…
Researchers from Aarhus University and the Danish Technological Institute have discovered enzymes capable of breaking down polyurethane foam and nylon. They collected millions of bacteria from various environments, including a landfill in Kenya, a tropical zoo, a compost heap, and larvae guts. The best candidate enzyme, CCPUR1, was found in the compost heap.
The enzyme was discovered using a new approach called bioprospecting, which involves searching nature for biological organisms that can be used in research and industry. This method is different from the conventional approach, which searches genome databases for gene sequences resembling those of enzymes already known to degrade plastic.
The researchers found 29 bacteria and 12 enzymes capable of breaking down polyurethane and nylon. The most promising enzyme, CCPUR1, has a wide binding cleft, making it stable and effective in breaking down large polymers. However, further research is needed to improve its efficiency and combine it with mechanical and chemical degradation methods for practical industrial use.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
