Acceleration of Enzymatic Degradation of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) by Surface Coating with Anionic Surfactants

ChemSusChem ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 4018-4025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Furukawa ◽  
Norifumi Kawakami ◽  
Kohei Oda ◽  
Kenji Miyamoto
Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 3885
Author(s):  
Teresa Menzel ◽  
Sebastian Weigert ◽  
Andreas Gagsteiger ◽  
Yannik Eich ◽  
Sebastian Sittl ◽  
...  

With macroscopic litter and its degradation into secondary microplastic as a major source of environmental pollution, one key challenge is understanding the pathways from macro- to microplastic by abiotic and biotic environmental impact. So far, little is known about the impact of biota on material properties. This study focuses on recycled, bottle-grade poly(ethylene terephthalate) (r-PET) and the degrading enzyme PETase from Ideonella sakaiensis. Compact tension (CT) specimens were incubated in an enzymatic solution and thermally and mechanically characterized. A time-dependent study up to 96 h revealed the formation of steadily growing colloidal structures. After 96 h incubation, high amounts of BHET dimer were found in a near-surface layer, affecting crack propagation and leading to faster material failure. The results of this pilot study show that enzymatic activity accelerates embrittlement and favors fragmentation. We conclude that PET-degrading enzymes must be viewed as a potentially relevant acceleration factor in macroplastic degradation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (17) ◽  
pp. 1400-1405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf-Joachim Müller ◽  
Hedwig Schrader ◽  
Jörn Profe ◽  
Karolin Dresler ◽  
Wolf-Dieter Deckwer

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