Towards bio-upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate

Tiso, Till; Narancic, Tanja; Wei, Ren; Pollet, Éric; Beagan, Niall; Schröder, Katja; Honak, Annett; Jiang, Mengying; Kenny, Shane T.; Wierckx, Nick; Perrin, Rémi; Avérous, Luc; Zimmermann, Wolfgang; O’Connor, Kevin E.; Blank, Lars M.

doi:10.1016/j.ymben.2021.03.011

Cited by 191 publications

(152 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…For the valorisation of plastic monomers, besides PHA synthesis, hydroxy alkanoyl oxy-alkanoic acids (HAA) synthesis has been successfully established. PHA synthesis could be shown on all PET and PUR plastic monomers [13].…”

Section: Mixed Cultures In Industrial Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…However, e cient growth could not be achieved on all monomers. Subsequently, via genetic engineering, the P4SB partners could generate recombinant P. putida strains capable of e cient catabolism of ethylene glycol, terephthalic acid, and 1,4-butanediol [12,13,65,77]. For the valorisation of plastic monomers, besides PHA synthesis, hydroxy alkanoyl oxy-alkanoic acids (HAA) synthesis has been successfully established.…”

Section: Mixed Cultures In Industrial Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multilevel mitigation strategies to reduce the waste of natural resources started with policymakers banning and placing levies on single-use plastic consumer products to stimulate sustainable alternatives and changed consumer behavior. Upcycling plastic waste from fossil sources in an open-loop process to biodegradable plastic and chemicals to valorise post-consumer plastic should be part of a rethinking towards a circular economy [12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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MIXed Plastics Biodegradation and UPcycling Using Microbial Communities: The EU Horizon 2020 Project MIX-UP

Ballerstedt

Tiso

Wierckx

et al. 2021

Preprint

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This article introduces the EU Horizon 2020 research project MIX-UP, “Mixed plastics biodegradation and upcycling using microbial communities”. The project focuses on the ambitious vision to change the traditional linear value chain of plastics to a sustainable, biodegradable based one. In MIX-UP, plastic mixtures containing five of the top six fossil-based recalcitrant plastics (PE, PUR, PP, PET, and PS), along with upcoming biobased and biodegradable plastics (bioplastics) such as PHA and PLA, will be used as feedstock for microbial transformations. The generated new workflow increases recycling quotas and adds value to present poorly recycled plastic waste streams. Consecutive controlled enzymatic and microbial degradation of mechanically pre-treated plastics waste combined with subsequent microbial conversion to polymers and value-added chemicals by mixed cultures. Through optimization of known plastic-degrading enzymes by integrated protein engineering, high specific binding capacities, stability, and catalytic efficacy towards a broad spectrum of plastic polymers under high salt content and temperature conditions will be achieved. Another focus lies in the search and isolation of novel enzymes active on recalcitrant polymers. MIX-UP will also enhance the production of enzymes and formulate enzyme cocktails tailored to specific waste streams. In vivo and in vitro application of these cocktails enables stable, self-sustaining microbiomes to convert the released plastic monomers selectively into value-added products, key building blocks, and biomass. Any of the remaining material recalcitrant to the enzymatic activity will be recirculated into the process by physicochemical treatment. The Chinese-European MIX-UP is a multidisciplinary and industry-participating consortium to address the market need for novel sustainable routes to valorize plastic waste streams. MIX-UP realizes a circular (bio) plastic economy and will contribute where mechanical and chemical plastic recycling show limits.

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Section: Mixed Cultures In Industrial Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Mixed Cultures In Industrial Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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MIXed Plastics Biodegradation and UPcycling Using Microbial Communities: The EU Horizon 2020 Project MIX-UP

Ballerstedt

Tiso

Wierckx

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…The upcycling of a variety of carbon-rich waste streams including nonoxygenated PE and PP wax into PHA has been achieved [56,57]. Postconsumer PET has been successfully upcycled to PHA and a novel bio-based poly(amide urethane) (bio-PU) recently [58]. In this study, the upcycling of PVA/TPS material to bacterial biopigments and PHB was assessed.…”

Section: Bacterial Upcycling and Biodegradation Of Pva/tps Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upcycling Biodegradable PVA/Starch Film to a Bacterial Biopigment and Biopolymer

et al. 2021

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Meeting the challenge of circularity for plastics requires amenability to repurposing post-use, as equivalent or upcycled products. In a compelling advancement, complete circularity for a biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol/thermoplastic starch (PVA/TPS) food packaging film was demonstrated by bioconversion to high-market-value biopigments and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) polyesters. The PVA/TPS film mechanical properties (tensile strength (σu), 22.2 ± 4.3 MPa; strain at break (εu), 325 ± 73%; and Young’s modulus (E), 53–250 MPa) compared closely with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) grades used for food packaging. Strong solubility of the PVA/TPS film in water was a pertinent feature, facilitating suitability as a carbon source for bioprocessing and microbial degradation. Biodegradability of the film with greater than 50% weight loss occurred within 30 days of incubation at 37 °C in a model compost. Up to 22% of the PVA/TPS film substrate conversion to biomass was achieved using three bacterial strains, Ralstonia eutropha H16 (Cupriavidus necator ATCC 17699), Streptomyces sp. JS520, and Bacillus subtilis ATCC6633. For the first time, production of the valuable biopigment (undecylprodigiosin) by Streptomyces sp. JS520 of 5.3 mg/mL and the production of PHB biopolymer at 7.8% of cell dry weight by Ralstonia eutropha H16 from this substrate were reported. This low-energy, low-carbon post-use PVA/TPS film upcycling model approach to plastic circularity demonstrates marked progress in the quest for sustainable and circular plastic solutions.

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“…To date, unlike the enzymes involved in the degradation of PET and assimilation of the breakdown products, the cellular uptake of these monomers, EG and TPA, has received limited attention. Adaptive laboratory evolution was used to engineer Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to enhance EG cellular uptake and metabolism 40 , 41 , and heterologous expression of the tph pathway has been reported in a number of different hosts 13 , 37 , 42 – 44 . Cellular uptake of TPA into Comamonas sp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural basis of terephthalate recognition by solute binding protein TphC

et al. 2021

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Biological degradation of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic and assimilation of the corresponding monomers ethylene glycol and terephthalate (TPA) into central metabolism offers an attractive route for bio-based molecular recycling and bioremediation applications. A key step is the cellular uptake of the non-permeable TPA into bacterial cells which has been shown to be dependent upon the presence of the key tphC gene. However, little is known from a biochemical and structural perspective about the encoded solute binding protein, TphC. Here, we report the biochemical and structural characterisation of TphC in both open and TPA-bound closed conformations. This analysis demonstrates the narrow ligand specificity of TphC towards aromatic para-substituted dicarboxylates, such as TPA and closely related analogues. Further phylogenetic and genomic context analysis of the tph genes reveals homologous operons as a genetic resource for future biotechnological and metabolic engineering efforts towards circular plastic bio-economy solutions.

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Towards bio-upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate

Cited by 191 publications

References 70 publications

MIXed Plastics Biodegradation and UPcycling Using Microbial Communities: The EU Horizon 2020 Project MIX-UP

MIXed Plastics Biodegradation and UPcycling Using Microbial Communities: The EU Horizon 2020 Project MIX-UP

Upcycling Biodegradable PVA/Starch Film to a Bacterial Biopigment and Biopolymer

Structural basis of terephthalate recognition by solute binding protein TphC

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