University part of multimillion pound research hub to develop enzyme-based plastic recycling

• New research university hub has been established in the UK
• Researchers from seven UK universities including Bangor University will develop enzyme-based plastic recycling

A new research hub, the first of its kind in the UK, is being formed to develop and optimise the enzyme-based technologies for plastic recycling and material recovery.

Addressing the global challenge of plastic waste, the new centre is being established with £13 million of funding from UK Research and Innovation’s Technology Missions Fund and support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

The P3EB research hub (Preventing Plastic Pollution with Engineering Biology), led by Prof Andrew Pickford of Portsmouth University, brings together scientists from seven leading UK institutions, including the Centre for Environmental Biotechnology at Bangor University, in a mission to tackle the pressing environmental challenge of plastic pollution by coupling engineering biology with complementary disciplines in the plastic waste field. The P3EB Mission Hub will receive £11.2 million over the next 5 years from the “UKRI Technology Missions Fund” announced by The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) on Friday.

The consortium of leading researchers aims to develop and optimise enzyme-based plastic recycling technologies, to convert problematic waste streams into valuable commodity chemicals and novel materials.

The Bangor University team, led by Professor Peter Golyshin, will coordinate research on discovery of novel plastic active enzymes from extremophilic environments by exploring the natural biochemical diversity and finding stable enzymes for deconstruction and upcycling of mixed plastic waste. Using protein engineering approaches, the identified robust enzymes will be optimised to tolerate harsh industrial conditions used for plastic deconstruction and combined to create synergistic enzyme cocktails for enhanced plastic waste recycling and upcycling.    

The Bangor University team (Profs Peter Golyshin and Alexander Yakunin) will also contribute to enzyme discovery and optimisation for the bioconversion of plastic deconstruction products to novel polymers and valuable chemicals.