"Enzymes: Nature's Cleanup Crew for a Plastic-Free Tomorrow!"

Consequently, the majorities of the plastic wastes usually end up in landfills or are deposited in the oceans. Lebreton et al. reported that the accumulation of plastic-based garbage in the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”—a 1.6 million km2 subtropical region of the Pacific Ocean that stretched between California and Hawaii—measures up to an astounding 70 thousand tones and still growing at an alarming rate.

This massive burden of plastic waste has turned out to be one of the persistent environmental problems that are challenging the present society. In the marine ecosystem, the huge amount of discarded plastic materials often leads to physical entanglement and strangulation of countless marine animals, thus, endangering the lives of various species of marine mammals, birds, invertebrates, fishes, turtles, and sea snakes. Similarly, lacerations and impaired movements caused by such entanglement in the plastic debris always have fatal consequences.

There are several different technologies that have been developed to degrade plastic. These technologies vary in their approach and ineffective.

This is the novel technology to degrade plastic which can over come the crisis in upcoming generation. This novel technology deals with the enzymes that can degrade plastic which were invented by several researchers.

Let’s know about the enzymes.

What are enzymes?

Enzymes are biological molecules, typically proteins, that act as catalysts in living organisms. They play a vital role in facilitating various chemical reactions necessary for life. Enzymes are highly specific in their actions, meaning they catalyze specific chemical reactions with particular substrates.

Source: https://stock.adobe.com/in/search?k=enzyme

For example,

Laundry Detergents:

Enzymes like proteases and lipases are commonly used in laundry detergents. They help break down protein-based stains (e.g., blood or grass stains) and fatty stains (e.g., oil or grease), making them easier to remove during the washing process.

Similarly, there are several enzymes that have been discovered or engineered to have the ability to degrade certain types of plastic. Here are a few examples:

PETase:

This enzyme was discovered in 2016 and is capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used in plastic bottles. PETase was isolated from a bacterium called Ideonella sakaiensis.

MHETase:

This enzyme works in tandem with PETase to break down PET. MHETase converts the intermediate product of PET degradation, called mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET), into its constituent components.

Source : https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/4/9/18274131/plastic-waste-pollution-bacteria-digestion

Cutinases:

Cutinases are a class of enzymes that naturally occur in many organisms, including bacteria and fungi. They have been found to have some activity against various types of plastics, including polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

PLAase:

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable plastic derived from renewable resources like corn starch or sugarcane. PLAase enzymes have been identified in various bacteria and fungi that can degrade PLA.

PHA depolymerases:

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of biodegradable plastics produced by some bacteria. PHA depolymerases are enzymes that can degrade PHA into its constituent monomers, allowing for recycling or further degradation.

It's important to note that while these enzymes show promise in degrading certain plastics, they may not be effective against all types of plastics or under all conditions. Research in this area is ongoing, and scientists are working to discover or engineer more efficient enzymes for plastic degradation