July 30: Scientists are developing “super-enzymes” that could revolutionise plastic recycling by breaking down difficult to recycle plastics into their original chemical building blocks, enabling them to be reused for making new high quality plastic instead of lower grade products.
A 2026 study by researchers at the University of Manchester focused on polycarbonate, a durable plastic widely used in safety glasses, electronics and machine parts. The team engineered an enzyme capable of rapidly digesting polycarbonate back into its original components, opening the door to a more circular recycling process.
Unlike conventional recycling, where plastics are melted and remoulded into lower value products before eventually ending up in landfills or incinerators, enzyme based recycling could recover the raw materials needed to manufacture new plastic, reducing dependence on crude oil and cutting waste.
Researchers say two major challenges had to be addressed. Plastics generally need to be heated to around 70°C to make them accessible to enzymes, but ordinary enzymes lose their structure at high temperatures. To overcome this, scientists drew inspiration from extremophiles microorganisms that thrive in volcanic environments and deep-sea hot springs whose heat resistant proteins remain stable at temperatures exceeding 100°C.
The second challenge was teaching enzymes to break down synthetic plastics rather than natural materials. Scientists achieved this using directed evolution, a laboratory technique that rapidly creates and selects improved enzyme variants capable of targeting specific plastics.
Artificial intelligence is further accelerating the process by analysing millions of known protein structures to predict modifications that can improve enzyme performance. Researchers say combining AI, directed evolution and heat resistant protein designs could produce powerful enzymes capable of operating under industrial conditions.
Beyond plastic waste, scientists believe these super enzymes could eventually be used to recycle synthetic textiles, electronic waste and even waste generated during long duration space missions, offering a greener approach to managing a wide range of difficult to recycle materials.