The lack of knowledge about the molecular mechanisms that make biocatalysis possible is an obstacle to developing biotechnological processes that allow the recycling of plastics. A research project led by a team from the Universitat Jaume I has made it possible to degrade widely used PET plastics through a natural enzyme, CALB, by modifying the pH of the medium. This opens up a new way to recycle PET, which is present, for example, in containers, bottles or textiles of all kinds, and generates harmless compounds that are useful in subsequent synthesis processes.
