An innovative new study to develop microbial organisms to digest plastic waste has been made possible following a £1.5 million award from the ERA - Cobiotech programme of the European Union.
Researchers from the University of Surrey together with colleagues from Germany, Spain and France are set to start work on a novel technique to tackle plastic waste, potentially revolutionising the way we recycle. Engineered microbial communities will be created by the team to digest two types of plastic polymers, polyethylene terephalate (PET) and polyurethane (PU), and transform them into molecules that can be used to develop a more environmentally friendly material, Bio-PU, which is used as a construction and insulation material.
PET is one of the main polymers for single-use plastics such as water bottles and food trays. Current physical or chemical methods to degrade PET are inefficient due to the presence of impurities and are expensive due to energy costs associated with the high temperatures required to break down the material. Research into degradation of PU is limited due to the difficulty in breaking down urethane bonds in the material.
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