Researchers at Rice University have developed a novel approach to address the growing challenge of plastic waste by engineering microorganisms with enhanced adhesive properties and the ability to break down harmful plastics like polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This innovative solution holds promise for more efficient plastic recycling and could also help combat biofouling, a widespread issue in various industries.
Harnessing Mussel’s Adhesive Genius
At the center of that discovery is the glue mussels exude — and how researchers managed to mimic their natural adhesive prowess. When paired with an enzyme that can degrade PET, the team has created a potent weapon to help fight against plastic pollution.
To create the engineered bacteria, they used technology called genetic code expansion to make them produce a natural amino acid known as 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) – a compound that mussels use for adhesive. The researchers modified the bacterium to produce DOPA, a strategy that greatly improved adhesion to PET surfaces: bacteria with modified genes showed 400 times more binding.
Transforming Plastic Recycling with Engineered Microbes
But the team was anything but a one-trick pony, its ingenuity going well beyond maintaining plastics. They’ve also bonded the adhesive bacteria with an enzyme called polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase, which can degrade PET to more manageable pieces. The mixture of clinging bacteria together with a plus enzyme caused full plastic degradation until the next morning.
If successful, it could pave the way for an entirely new and greener solution to the plastic recycling crisis that deceptions us all in terms of being able to solve this particular environmental nightmare better, faster, and more efficiently. Every year, the United States alone generates about 40 million tons of plastic waste, and of that, a staggering 64% is in PET form. PET is a plastic that we all know from packaging, which we also know to be very persistent in its decomposition (hundreds of years).
Tackling Biofouling and Beyond
The research could have applications other than combating plastic pollution. The DOPA-modified proteins also bind strongly to organic and metallic surfaces, forming a barrier that inhibits the accumulation of unwanted microorganisms (bacteria, fungi), plants, or algae as well as by small animals – this process is known as biofouling.
Biofouling is a serious and costly problem for over 1 billion boats in use today, damaging the hulls and underwater structures or pipes of these vessels. These findings by the researchers could help to end this long-standing problem and will completely change bioengineering applications as well as solve actual problems.
In addition, the team’s results have wide-ranging applications in health care; DOPA-based technology can be applied to medical devices that are infected with bacteria, increasing their safety and efficacy. It could lead to advances in areas like implantable medical devices, tissue engineering, and drug delivery.
