IIT Roorkee researchers discover enzymes that degrade plastic faster

NEW DELHI: A research team at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has discovered an enzyme in a microorganism that could help in the faster degradation of plastic materials, which are considered non-biodegradable. The research team was led by Pravindra Kumar, professor at the department of biosciences and bioengineering, IIT Roorkee.

According to a statement from IIT Roorkee, the research team discovered the enzymes responsible for the degradation of phthalate and terephthalate, chemicals used in plastic production. These enzymes were found in a microorganism called Comamonas testosteroni KF1.

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The study is published in the journals, Journal of Biological Chemistry, and the Journal of Bacteriology.

"The global plastic pollution has become the most pressing environmental issue. And recent studies on enzymes degrading polyethylene terephthalate type of plastics into terephthalate (TPA) show some potential in tackling this. Also, research from the last decade has discovered terephthalate dioxygenase (TPDO), as being responsible for initiating the enzymatic degradation of TPA in a few Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Therefore, building on this, the team members have determined the crystal structure of TPDO from Comamonas testosteroni KF1 and revealed that this enzyme can help degrade non-biodegradables," said Kumar.

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"Toxic phthalates are detrimental to the environment. These results provide insights into a pollutant-degrading enzyme. The results facilitate the engineering of this enzyme for bioremediation and biocatalytic applications," said Ajit K Chaturvedi, director of IIT Roorkee.