[january free report] Innovative technique development for Biodegradation of plasticsby Abdullah khalid | 22-01-2023 02:36 |
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The current methods for recycling plastic involve collecting, transporting, sorting and processing the many different kinds of plastics that are used in everyday life. The process is so intensive that entire loads of plastic might be thrown out. Old plastic is processed through washing, shredding, further separation and melting to form plastic pellets. An enzyme variant created by engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin. This discovery could help solve one of the world¡¯s most pressing environmental problems. The enzyme has the potential to supercharge recycling on a large scale. The project focuses on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a significant polymer found in most consumer packaging, and certain fibers and textiles. It makes up 12% of all global waste. These plastics can be fully broken down to monomers in as little as 24 hours. The new, fast-acting enzyme was named FAST-PETase. It was found to be highly effective at 50¡Æ C (122¡Æ F). Through this process, which included studying 51 different post-consumer plastic containers, five different polyester fibers and fabrics and water bottles all made from PET, all the samples were fully degraded within 1 week, with several requiring just 1 or 2 days. |
