Bottlenecks in biobased approaches to plastic degradation
Amelia R. Bergeson, Ashli J. Silvera, Hal S. Alper
Abstract
Plastic waste is an environmental challenge, but also presents a biotechnological opportunity as a unique carbon substrate. With modern biotechnological tools, it is possible to enable both recycling and upcycling. To realize a plastics bioeconomy, significant intrinsic barriers must be overcome using a combination of enzyme, strain, and process engineering. This article highlights advances, challenges, and opportunities for a variety of common plastics.
Topics & Concepts
Biochemical engineeringDegradation (telecommunications)Plastic wasteProcess (computing)Materials scienceNanotechnologyComputer scienceEngineeringWaste managementTelecommunicationsOperating systemMicroplastics and Plastic Pollutionbiodegradable polymer synthesis and propertiesAdditive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies