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Plastic-eating enzyme could help in battling pollution

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"Researchers from the U.S. and Britain say they have created a plastic-eating enzyme that could be used aide in the recovery and recycling of plastics. The enzyme is able to digest polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, plastic."


"PET plastics take hundreds of years to breakdown and have become an enormous source of global pollution on land and in the oceans."

"Scientists made the discovery while looking at the structure of a natural plastic-eating enzyme believed to have evolved in a recycling plant in Japan. Researchers added some amino acids to the enzyme which ended up speeding up its plastic-eating capabilities."

"The team will now work on improving the enzyme to see if it's capable to breaking down PET plastics on an industrial scale." (Reuters)




Choi Won-suk wschoi@koreatimes.co.kr


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