Researchers from INRAE, Université de Bordeaux, and Université de Bretagne Sud have engineered LPMO enzymes to recognize and degrade various plastics, similar to their natural function with wood cellulose. This offers a potential biological toolkit for improving plastic recycling technologies.
The study focuses on reprogramming LPMO enzymes from filamentous fungi to target plastics for degradation.
The engineered chimera LPMOs can bind to different plastics and create surface holes in materials like polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Future research aims to develop enzyme cocktails for effective biorecycling of plastics.
