A newly designed enzyme that may be included in polylactic acid (PLA) to enable self-biodegradation has been created in collaboration between Carbios and the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI). With this discovery, the sustainability of PLA-based goods—which are frequently utilized in packaging and other commercial applications—is set to be completely transformed.
The engineering techniques utilized to produce this enzyme, which can biologically depolymerize PLA across a broad pH and temperature range, are described in a recent paper published in Nature. This adaptability ensures efficient biodegradation under a variety of circumstances and mirrors the inherent variances present in home composting systems.
The paper also describes the difficulties in uniformly adding the enzyme to PLA sheets at the elevated temperatures (170 °C) required for extrusion operations. The enzyme is still active enough in these high temperatures to guarantee that the PLA breaks down completely and quickly throughout the composting or methanization process.
The recently created enzymatic substance has exhibited a significantly quicker rate of disintegration and biodegradation in comparison to the 26-week benchmark needed to obtain certification for home composting. It also increases the amount of biomethane produced during anaerobic digestion, providing an additional means of recovering waste. Since its deterioration is only triggered under certain composting or methanization conditions, the material is stable even when used and stored for extended periods of time. This makes it ideal for a wide range of PLA-based commercial applications, such as nonwoven fabrics and plastics.
