Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Science

New approach boosts plastic-eating enzyme's activity nearly tenfold

Researchers from King's College London and Rutgers University in New Jersey created a modified enzyme (a protein that speeds up chemical reactions) that breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic 10 times quicker, using 10 times less enzyme. They accomplished this just by changing the liqu...

New approach boosts plastic-eating enzyme's activity nearly tenfold
Image: Phys.org
Researchers from King's College London and Rutgers University in New Jersey created a modified enzyme (a protein that speeds up chemical reactions) that breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic 10 times quicker, using 10 times less enzyme. They accomplished this just by changing the liquid it works in and making small changes to the enzyme's structure.

Originally published at Phys.org

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