Green Biodegradation: Analysis of Potential Polyurethane-degrading Enzymes and Their Secretion in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Conference · Mon Jun 12 00:00:00 EDT 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2569352· OSTI ID:2569352

Diaz, Crisandra Jade ^[1]; Tessman, Marissa ^[1]; Schreiman, Ariel; Gunawan, Natasha; Simkovsky, Ryan; Burkart, Michael; Mayfield, Stephen

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1. University of California, San Diego

Plastic pollution is a critical global issue, with only 5% of plastics currently recycled. Polyester polyurethane (PU), a widely used plastic, can potentially be broken down using enzymatic biodegradation rather than mechanical processing that generates microplastics. This study focuses on PS5, a potential PU-degrading enzyme with esterase activity, capable of cleaving ester bonds found in PU structures. Researchers investigated the expression and secretion of PS5 in the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a sustainable production platform capable of generating PU precursors such as lipids and diacids while sequestering carbon. Experiments demonstrated that PS5 significantly outperformed commercial lipase in cleaving the FDA substrate, indicating high esterase activity. Algal transformants expressing PS5 also showed halo formation on Impranil®-agar plates, suggesting PU dispersion degradation. These findings highlight C. reinhardtii as a viable chassis for the production and secretion of plastic-degrading enzymes, offering a sustainable route to both upcycle and degrade PU products at the end of their lifecycle.

• Research Organization: University of California, San Diego
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy
• DOE Contract Number: EE0009671
• OSTI ID: 2569352
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English