科技科学

Plastics embedded with enzymes degrade readily in the sea

Nature2026年10月21日查看原文 ↗
  • RESEARCH BRIEFINGS

Embedding enzymes that break down ester bonds into compostable polyesters enables rapid and complete biodegradation even in microbe-scarce environments. This method is effective in marine sites ranging from coastal sea water to the deep sea, and could therefore contribute towards solving the global plastic pollution problem.

This is a summary of: Huang, Q. et al. Enzyme-embedded polyesters for accelerated biodegradation in the deep sea. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11192-1 (2026).

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03282-x

‘Expert opinion’ and the figure are published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

References

  1. Omura, T. et al. Nature Commun. 15, 568 (2024).

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  2. International Organization for Standardization. ISO 14855-1:2012. Determination of the Ultimate Aerobic Biodegradability of Plastic Materials under Controlled Composting Conditions — Method by Analysis of Evolved Carbon Dioxide. Part 1: General Method (ISO, 2012).

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  3. Huang, Q., Kimura, S. & Iwata, T. Biomacromolecules 27, 2998–3018 (2026).

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  4. Huang, Q., Hiyama, M., Kabe, T., Kimura, S. & Iwata, T. Biomacromolecules 21, 3301–3307 (2020).

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  5. Huang, Q., Kimura, S. & Iwata, T. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 190, 109647 (2021).

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