Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles. Just when we needed it!

Last Updated: April 17, 2018By

How lucky is this?

I’d say suspiciously so.

Let’s hope there are no unforeseen side-effects.

Scientists have created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles – by accident. The breakthrough could help solve the global plastic pollution crisis by enabling for the first time the full recycling of bottles.

The new research was spurred by the discovery in 2016 of the first bacterium that had naturally evolved to eat plastic, at a waste dump in Japan. Scientists have now revealed the detailed structure of the crucial enzyme produced by the bug.

The international team then tweaked the enzyme to see how it had evolved, but tests showed they had inadvertently made the molecule even better at breaking down the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic used for soft drink bottles. “What actually turned out was we improved the enzyme, which was a bit of a shock,” said Prof John McGeehan, at the University of Portsmouth, UK, who led the research. “It’s great and a real finding.”

Source: Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles | Environment | The Guardian


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No Comments

  1. Stu April 17, 2018 at 5:27 am - Reply

    Leroy Jethro Gibbs …Rule 39: “There is no such thing as coincidence.” ???

  2. Alan Stephen April 17, 2018 at 9:21 am - Reply

    Just like an episode of Doomwatch a TV show from the 60’s the episode was called The Plastic Eater and it didn’t turn out well if memory serves.

  3. trev April 17, 2018 at 5:21 pm - Reply

    Good news if it works as it should.Bad news for manufacturers of UPVC doors & windows!

  4. Pat Sheehan April 17, 2018 at 9:34 pm - Reply

    And the ‘side effects’? When the enzymes have finished gorging on the tizer bottles watch out for the tidal-wave of lethal, air-borne excrement. What we really need is enzymes that eat eejits! Eejit-eaters!

  5. Dez April 18, 2018 at 9:43 am - Reply

    Agree have the egg heads really thought about this and its long term potential threat. Should this bug get out of control from its waste busting intent what will be the impact on everything that has plastic content….? Personally I would be working on a proven antidote right now……as Trev says there could be a lot of doors, windows and critical infrastructure plastic potentially disappearing. Maybe the original idea of plastic bug munchers came out of a covert war weapon.

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