Antarctic Polyester Hydrolases Degrade Aliphatic and Aromatic Polyesters at Moderate Temperatures

• Published in: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
• Main Authors: Blázquez-Sánchez, Paula, Engelberger, Felipe, Cifuentes-Anticevic, Jerónimo, Sonnendecker, Christian, Griñén, Aransa, Reyes, Javiera, Díez, Beatriz, Guixé, Victoria, Richter, P. Konstantin, Zimmermann, Wolfgang, Ramírez-Sarmiento, César A.
• Other Authors: Atomi, Haruyuki, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Institut chilien de l'Antarctique, UKRI | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Society for Microbiology 2022
• Subjects: Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.01842-21; https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.01842-21

A myriad of consumer products contains polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic that has accumulated as waste in the environment due to its long-term stability and poor waste management. One promising solution is the enzymatic biodegradation of PET, with most known enzymes only catalyzing this process at high temperatures.