Jul 2026· Trends in Biotechnology· 0 citations· 73 references
Medicine
Abstract
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most widely used plastics in food and textile applications, yet post-consumer PET waste persists and accumulates in the environment as macro- and microplastics with adverse health and ecological impacts. Although PET-hydrolysing enzymes have been extensively studied in vitro, whole-cell microbial systems capable of using PET as a growth substrate remain limited, particularly for difficult-to-collect waste. Here, we engineer an environmental bacterium to directly assimilate PET. A strain of Pseudomonas umsongensis capable of metabolising the PET monomer terephthalic acid was isolated and engineered to secrete the high-activity PET hydrolase polyester hydrolase Leipzig 7 via a recombinant twin-arginine translocation motif signal peptide. PET bioavailability was further enhanced through solvent-based pretreatment to generate an amorphous, macroporous substrate. The engineered strain demonstrated direct PET utilisation and hydrolysis, supporting self-sustaining microbial growth. Additionally, in non-sterile wastewater the strain survived and hydrolysed PET microplastics, highlighting its potential for bioremediation and sustainable upcycling applications.
This study outlines existing metabolic engineering techniques for bio-upcycling PET into high-value compounds, as well as a number of engineering approaches intended to improve the performance of PET-degrading enzymes. One of the most popular aromatic polyesters in the world, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has an annual demand of over 29 million metric tons in 2022 and is expected to rise by 40% by 2030. Due to the growing amount of PET waste and the existing insufficiency of recycling techniques, it has accumulated in terrestrial ecosystems, posing serious hazards to world health. These technologies seek to convert recovered PET into more valuable items in order to address energy issues as well as environmental sustainability. One potentially biosustainable technique for handling and recycling plastics is enzyme-mediated biocatalytic depolymerization. Protein engineering developments have been applied to modify and improve the many plastic-degrading enzymes that have been discovered from microbial sources. Additionally, microbial metabolic engineering makes it possible to create customized microbial chassis that can break down PET substrates and transform the resulting monomers into compounds that are useful for industry.
Abdul Rauf Bhatti, Rabiya Asim, Muddasar Jamal et al.· Practices in Science and Tec...· 0 citations
This study isolated 305 marine-derived microorganisms with potential PET-degrading capability from samples collected from mangrove areas of Zhanjiang and the intertidal zones of Daya Bay, Shenzhen, China, using PET powder as a major carbon source and reveals the genetic basis underlying PET degradation and associated metabolic pathways in strain SCSIO 85700.
Shi-Jing Deng, Qiaoqiao Guo, Yun-He An et al.· Microorganisms· 0 citations
A theoretical Plastic-to-Fertilizer (P2F) framework that proposes an engineered four-member microbial consortium capable of partially depolymerizing mixed plastic waste, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polystyrene (PS), and polypropylene (PP), and channeling selected plastic-derived carbon intermediates toward biosynthesis of agronomically beneficial compounds is presented.
Krishnaraj Narayanan· Frontiers in Microbiology· 0 citations
A theoretical basis for using substrate pre-activation and evolved biocatalysis to treat PET-contaminated alkaline industrial effluents is provided, providing a theoretical basis for using substrate pre-activation and evolved biocatalysis to treat PET-contaminated alkaline industrial effluents.
Haodong Wu, Huiqin Li, Zheng Li et al.· Journal of Hazardous Materia...· 0 citations
Results demonstrated substantial PET fabric degradation, confirming the efficacy of the fungal strain and the importance of lipase in the biodegradation process and presenting a promising biotechnological approach for mitigating PET pollution through microbial intervention and enzyme optimization.
K. Saravanan, Sudharshini Elumalai, Preethi Kathirvel· Biodegradation· 0 citations
Reframing plastic degradation as a multi-scale, designable system rather than a single-enzyme process highlights opportunities for coupling protein engineering with controlled deployment, including biofilm-based localization and metabolic pathway integration, to enable more effective and environmentally relevant microplastic remediation.
Debashrita Majumder, Anushree Dutta, D. Lahiri et al.· Preparative Biochemistry & B...· 0 citations