Bottlenecks in biobased approaches to plastic degradation.

Bergeson, Amelia R; Silvera, Ashli J; Alper, Hal S · Nat Commun · 2024

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Abstract

Plastic waste is an environmental challenge, but also presents a biotechnological opportunity as a unique carbon substrate. With modern biotechnological tools, it is possible to enable both recycling and upcycling. To realize a plastics bioeconomy, significant intrinsic barriers must be overcome using a combination of enzyme, strain, and process engineering. This article highlights advances, challenges, and opportunities for a variety of common plastics.

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