Working towards infinite recycling: Engineering enzymes to break down plastics

Celebrating an exciting industry-university research collaboration project made possible through the Commonwealth Department of Education’s National Industry PhD Program: “Working towards infinite recycling: Engineering enzymes to break down plastics” brings together Professor Colin Jackson from The Australian National University, Vanessa Vongsouthi from Samsara Recycling Pty Ltd and PhD candidate Chloe Gomez to investigate new pathways to breakdown plastics by engineering enzymes that covert plastic waste into the original monomers, which can be upcycled or used to remake polymers.

This research project aims to engineer enzymes that break down poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) plastic, used for a range of applications such as packaging, fabrics and tableware. Currently PLA and PHA are not recycled in Australia and are sent to landfill.