TY - JOUR
T1 - Revisiting the Activity of Two Poly(Vinyl Chloride)- and Polyethylene-Degrading Enzymes
T2 - Article No. 8501
AU - Stepnov, Anton
AU - Lopez-Tavera, Esteban
AU - Klauer, Ross
AU - Lincoln, Clarissa
AU - Chowreddy, Ravindra
AU - Beckham, Gregg
AU - Eijsink, Vincent
AU - Solomon, Kevin
AU - Blenner, Mark
AU - Vaaje-Kolstad, Gustav
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Biocatalytic degradation of non-hydrolyzable plastics is a rapidly growing field of research, driven by the global accumulation of waste. Enzymes capable of cleaving the carbon-carbon bonds in synthetic polymers are highly sought-after as they may provide tools for environmentally friendly plastic recycling. Despite some reports of oxidative enzymes acting on non-hydrolyzable plastics, including polyethylene or poly(vinyl chloride), the notion that these materials are susceptible to efficient enzymatic degradation remains controversial, partly driven by a general lack of studies independently reproducing previous observations. Here, we attempt to replicate two recent studies reporting that deconstruction of polyethylene and poly(vinyl chloride) can be achieved using an insect hexamerin from Galleria mellonella (so-called “Ceres”) or a bacterial catalase-peroxidase from Klebsiella sp., respectively. Reproducing previously described experiments, we do not observe any activity on plastics using multiple reaction conditions and multiple substrate types. Digging deeper into the discrepancies between the previous data and our observations, we show how and why the original experimental results may have been misinterpreted.
AB - Biocatalytic degradation of non-hydrolyzable plastics is a rapidly growing field of research, driven by the global accumulation of waste. Enzymes capable of cleaving the carbon-carbon bonds in synthetic polymers are highly sought-after as they may provide tools for environmentally friendly plastic recycling. Despite some reports of oxidative enzymes acting on non-hydrolyzable plastics, including polyethylene or poly(vinyl chloride), the notion that these materials are susceptible to efficient enzymatic degradation remains controversial, partly driven by a general lack of studies independently reproducing previous observations. Here, we attempt to replicate two recent studies reporting that deconstruction of polyethylene and poly(vinyl chloride) can be achieved using an insect hexamerin from Galleria mellonella (so-called “Ceres”) or a bacterial catalase-peroxidase from Klebsiella sp., respectively. Reproducing previously described experiments, we do not observe any activity on plastics using multiple reaction conditions and multiple substrate types. Digging deeper into the discrepancies between the previous data and our observations, we show how and why the original experimental results may have been misinterpreted.
KW - biocatalytic degradation
KW - carbon-carbon bonds in synthetic polymers
KW - enzymatic deconstruction of polyethylene
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-024-52665-z
DO - 10.1038/s41467-024-52665-z
M3 - Article
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 15
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
ER -