Carbios' PET plastic enzymatic recycling technology published in Nature
Carbios and Toulouse Biotechnology Institute scientists have developed an enzyme capable of breaking down PET plastic waste and recycling it into new bottles. The technology was published in the scientific journal Nature.
French biotechnology company Carbios has had research on its new enzymatic PET plastic recycling technology published in the esteemed scientific journal Nature. The article details a process that can biologically depolymerize all types of PET plastic waste and efficiently recycle it into new bottles.
Carbios' technology, developed in collaboration with the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI), enables the recycling of PET plastic, widely used in bottles, textile fibers, and packaging. Compared to traditional recycling methods, the enzyme-based process offers a significant improvement in the degradation rate of PET waste, achieving up to 90% degradation in 10 hours, an increase from the initial 1% in several weeks.
The publication of the research in Nature highlights the scientific significance of the technology and its potential to contribute to solving the plastic waste problem and advancing a circular economy. The company plans to test the technology at its demonstration plant, scheduled for completion in 2021.
According to Carbios, this technology also opens avenues for recycling PET textile fibers, a significant challenge for environmental cleanliness. The company has previously stated that its technology has also received approval from the Solar Impulse Foundation as a financially viable environmental solution.