Researchers in Germany discovered a soil enzyme that can break down a plant-based bioplastic — and penicillin-type antibiotics — offering scientists a glimpse into how nature could help address plastic pollution.
Here's what to know
The finding emerged from a University of Konstanz study of LCAP, a biodegradable plastic left in forest soil for more than a year. When the strips were later examined, microscopic images showed their surfaces marked by tiny, bacteria-shaped pits, pointing to microbial activity, as Sci.News reported.
The plastic used in the experiment, long-chain aliphatic polyester, is made from long-chain molecules derived from plant oils. After sequencing DNA from microbes living on the material, lead author Harry Lerner and his colleagues identified an enzyme they called LCPH1.
"We buried small pieces of LCAP bioplastic film in the upper humus layer in the forest at the university's botanical garden, about 10 centimeters deep," Lerner said, per Sci.News. "This layer is where the breakdown of cellulose and other natural polymers, such as cutin — a plant-based polyester — takes place."
Modeling by the researchers showed LCPH1 has a broad, active site they described as having a "Pac-Man" shape, enabling it to interact with both plastic chains and antibiotic molecules. They found the enzyme broke the bioplastic into its component parts and also neutralized penicillin and ampicillin, leaving the drugs unable to kill bacteria.
More background
Plastic waste is far more than an eyesore.
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"Plastic waste and its deterioration into micro- and nanoplastics, paired with slow biodegradation of most present-day plastic materials, has developed into a major environmental and human health concern," the authors wrote. "... Plastic debris can act as a vector for transporting chemical contaminants and colonizing microbes.
Lerner told Sci.News, "The enzyme's structure resembles … bacterial enzymes that are capable of cleaving the beta-lactam ring of certain antibiotics, such as penicillin, thereby making bacteria resistant to antibiotics."
What's being done?
Senior author David Schleheck said, according to the outlet, that "to tackle the environmental problem of plastic pollution, we humans need to work with the capabilities of microbes."
But he noted the developments were "encouraging, because it seems that bacteria can adapt to breaking down polyester plastics more quickly than we expected."
Where can I learn more?
This discovery shows how the field is expanding, from soil biodegradation and recycling systems to chemistry that turns waste into useful drugs.
• A tech company is deploying tiny organisms against common garbage to target soil microplastics.
• In Edinburgh, scientists showed plastic waste can be transformed into pharmaceuticals such as paracetamol.
Such research points to several ways of tackling plastic pollution, including smarter materials, better recycling, and microbial chemistry. The Konstanz team's "Pac-Man" enzyme is one more sign that the toolkit is growing.
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