Mutant enzyme could break down plastic bottles for recycling in hours, scientists say
globalnews.ca- There’s an improved version of an enzyme first discovered in 2012, and it degrades plastic bottles like a wild hog (=very, very quickly and with no remorse).
- It’s a highly efficient, optimized enzyme that breaks down 90% of plastic bottles in 10 hours—the first version of the enzyme took weeks to break down just 1%.
- The creators of the enzyme have partnered with a biotech firm to industrialize the production of what might be the next big thing for cleaning the environment.
- But there’s still work to do, and they haven’t yet begun full testing of the enzyme, which is planned to begin in 2021.