Posted on 04/17/2018 6:50:28 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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.”
The mutant enzyme takes a few days to start breaking down the plastic – far faster than the centuries it takes in the oceans. But the researchers are optimistic this can be speeded up even further and become a viable large-scale process.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
“Picture this bug on the loose.”
Its already on the loose, the enzyme was isolated from a naturally occurring strain in the environment. The modified enzyme is only marginally more effective.
Needless to say, it did not have a happy ending.
Just think about this our environment will be saved. Nature developed a way to break down here for eternity plastic.
Not really a problem. They simply replaced, for day to day, their all steel and or wood-stocked predecessors.
Gomer....nice pull. Bit of arcane palaver... not quite to that stage yet...still walking talking and chewing gum with no difficulty.
Gonna be odd trying to ride around in vehicles with no plastics...
KYPD
The unintended consequence will be Pepsi and milk bottles springing spontaneous leaks and making messes at the supermarket.
Fake butter is one element from being plastic wonder if the enzyme will eat it?.
LOL. I had a ‘66 Pontiac like that, except it was one giant crack from windshield to the front edge.
Speaking of melting, I also have experience from about 10 years earlier leaving a box full of Crayola crayons on the rear shelf above the rear seat in full summer son. Talk about MELTING. Dad didn’t appreciate the colorful puddle on his fairly new car. At least he didn’t take me to the wood shed, but I know he was steamed.
Yep. Unless you want to add that enzyme to your clothes washer detergent.
My next door neighbor’s career is designing novel drug delivery mechanisms. Can I offer him your suggestion?
So it eats trees and plants?
You obviously haven't seen my closets, my kitchen, my garage, and my tool storage shed.
Ah! The silver lining in every dark cloud.
Picture instead that the bug adapts to becoming one of our intestinal microbes. You won’t even need to take the plastic wrapper off that microwave burrito, just eat the whole thing and let the bacteria worry about it!
Indeed. Such as...enzymes eat plastic...and secrete, what?
Or...enzyme breaks down plastic. What sort of material is the by-product of this process? Toxic? Pollutant? Useful?
A few more microorganisms to digest that burrito wrapper won't even be noticed.
And God forbid it makes it’s way into a hospital.
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