Project description
On the trail of the most potent enzymes to biodegrade plastic pollution
Mass production of plastics began about 60 years ago. Plastics have provided great convenience regarding food and beverages in addition to enhancing the properties of materials in fields from transport to construction. However, despite years of efforts to establish plastic recycling policies and processes, more than 90 % of plastics – billions of tonnes over the years – have not been recycled. Polyethylene is the most widely used plastic in the world, found in products from plastic food wrap and shopping bags to detergent bottles and automobile fuel tanks. The EU-funded UTPE PEB project is streamlining the search for enzymes that could biodegrade polyethylene efficiently. After selecting the most promising candidates, the team plans to express and optimise them in an evolutionary way, creating a solution to a growing problem for the planet and its varied ecosystems.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesclassical mechanicsfluid mechanicsmicrofluidics
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
Coordinator
CB2 1TN Cambridge
United Kingdom
See on map