In a breakthrough, researchers from Korea have successfully engineered E. coli bacteria to produce thermally stable plastics similar to polystyrene and PET. This achievement is significant as it marks the first time microbes have produced polymers made entirely of monomers with aromatic sidechains.
The team constructed a novel metabolic pathway that enabled the bacteria to produce phenyllactate, an aromatic monomer, and then used computer simulations to engineer a polymerase enzyme that efficiently assembled these building blocks into a polymer. The resulting polymer is biodegradable and has physical properties that could lend it to biomedical applications such as drug delivery.
The researchers are optimistic about the potential of their discovery, with senior author Sang Yup Lee stating, “I think biomanufacturing will be a key to the success of mitigating climate change and the global plastic crisis.” They plan to further optimize their method to increase yield and scale up production.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-08-bacteria-thermally-stable-plastics-similar.html