Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.
Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.
Trends Biotechnol. 2021 Jan;39(1):12-23. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.05.004. Epub 2020 May 30.
Enzymatic plastic conversion has emerged recently as a potential adjunct and alternative to conventional plastic waste management technology. Publicity over progress in the enzymatic degradation of polyesters largely neglects that the majority of commercial plastics, including polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride, are still not biodegradable. Details about the mechanisms used by enzymes and an understanding of macromolecular factors influencing these have proved to be vital in developing biodegradation methods for polyesters. To expand the application of enzymatic degradation to other more recalcitrant plastics, extensive knowledge gaps need to be addressed. By drawing on interdisciplinary knowledge, we suggest that physicochemical influences also have a crucial impact on reactions in less well-studied types of plastic, and these need to be investigated in detail.
酶法塑料转化最近作为一种潜在的辅助手段和传统塑料废物管理技术的替代方法出现。关于聚酯酶降解方面的进展的宣传很大程度上忽视了这样一个事实，即包括聚乙烯、聚丙烯、聚苯乙烯和聚氯乙烯在内的大多数商业塑料仍然不可生物降解。证明了解酶所使用的机制以及影响这些机制的高分子因素的细节对于开发聚酯的生物降解方法至关重要。为了将酶降解的应用扩展到其他更难降解的塑料，需要解决广泛的知识空白。通过借鉴跨学科知识，我们认为物理化学因素对研究较少的塑料类型中的反应也有至关重要的影响，需要对此进行详细研究。
