That usually requires a lot of heating, but the enzymes work at normal temperatures, in water and at neutral pH. The enzymes can be easily synthesised and overcome a bottleneck in plastic degradation, the researchers said, which is the initial breaking of the polymer chains. The only recycling at scale today uses mechanical processes and creates lower-value products.Ĭhemical breakdown could create valuable chemicals or, with some further processing, new plastic, thereby avoiding the need for new virgin plastic made from oil. Polyethylene makes up 30% of all plastic production and is used in bags and other packaging that make up a significant part of worldwide plastic pollution. The researchers said the study showed insect saliva may be “a depository of degrading enzymes which could revolutionise ”. ![]() The discovery came after one scientist, an amateur beekeeper, cleaned out an infested hive and found the larvae started eating holes in a plastic refuse bag.
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