Researchers tested how well two microbial enzymes break down a new class of plant-derived plastics, finding that plastics made from a corn-based building block degrade faster than conventional petroleum-based equivalents, and that tweaking the plastic's chemical recipe can tune how quickly it breaks down in the environment.
1
Plant-based furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) polyesters were consistently more enzyme-degradable than petroleum-based terephthalate equivalents at the same aromatic content.
2
Increasing aromatic diacid content in the polymer decreased hydrolysis rates for both enzyme types tested.
3
The Humicola insolens cutinase enzyme was active across all 30 copolyesters tested, while Rhizopus oryzae lipase only degraded those with low aromatic content.
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