Summary (Draft 1)

The article, “Plastic-eating Enzyme Could Eliminate Billions of Tons of Landfill Waste'' by The University of Texas at Austin (2022), revealed that researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed an enzyme variant that can accelerate the degradation of environmentally harmful plastics in hours or days instead of centuries. The researchers mainly focused on a type of plastic which is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polymer most commonly found in consumer packaging and certain fibers and textiles. This enzyme variant was able to disintegrate the plastic into smaller parts (depolymerization) and then put it back together (repolymerization) which begins the upcycling process. The plastic-eating enzyme was created quite a while back in 2016 but it remains unused because it requires a high temperature to be broken down. This new and improved enzyme variant is proven superior in breaking down PET plastics more efficiently. Given the effectiveness and potential of this enzyme, when cleaning up landfills and greening high-waste-producing industries, this enzyme could be a great contributor. And also, kick start a plastic recycling revolution that could lead to a more sustainable approach. However, cutting down on plastic pollution in the first place is required, the enzyme is undoubtedly not the solution but part of it.



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