{"id":194950,"date":"2024-10-12T13:37:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T17:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/?p=194950"},"modified":"2024-10-10T13:57:51","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T17:57:51","slug":"sticky-microorganisms-to-decompose","status":"publish","type":"noticias","link":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/news\/sticky-microorganisms-to-decompose\/","title":{"rendered":"Bioengineered bacteria break down PET plastics faster"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Researchers at Rice University have developed an innovative method to combat plastic pollution using bioengineered sticky microorganisms<\/strong> inspired by mussels. These genetically modified microorganisms exhibit adhesive properties that allow them to break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste more efficiently. <\/p>\n\n

\"Mengxi
Mengxi Zhang and Han Xiao. Source: Rice University <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Decomposition of plastics in record time!<\/h2>\n\n

This biotechnological breakthrough is based on the use of an enzyme called polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase, combined with a natural amino acid extracted from mussels, known as 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). The result: microorganisms with amplified adhesion that achieve an increase of up to 400 times in their capacity to break down plastics into smaller, more manageable fragments<\/em> . According to scientists, this discovery could revolutionize plastic recycling, reducing the accumulation of PET waste in the environment. <\/p>\n\n

\"Design
Design of bacteria and sticky proteins inspired by mussels to degrade plastics. Source: Rice University <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

One of the major challenges in waste management<\/a><\/strong> is that PET plastic, commonly used in packaging, takes centuries to degrade. Thanks to this new approach, modified bacteria are able to break down plastic in just one night<\/strong> . In addition, these bacteria could help prevent biofouling, a problem affecting the maritime and medical industries, where the accumulation of microorganisms and other materials on metallic and organic surfaces can cause considerable damage. <\/p>\n\n

Sticky microorganisms also improve medicine<\/h2>\n\n

The Rice University team also pointed to applications in medicine. DOPA-modified proteins could improve medical devices by reducing bacterial growth<\/strong> , making them safer and more effective. This finding expands opportunities for bioengineering in drug delivery and tissue engineering. <\/p>\n\n

Dr Han Xiao, leader of the study, stressed the importance of the research to address the growing problem of plastic pollution<\/a><\/strong> worldwide. Our approach has the potential to transform bioengineering and offer real solutions to global problems such as pollution and biofouling. <\/p>\n\n

This breakthrough was published in the journal Small Methods<\/a><\/strong> and supported by institutions such as the National Institutes<\/strong> of Health and the US Department of Defense.<\/p>\n\n

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Source and internal photos: Rice University<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Main photo: Shutterstock<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The modified bacteria can break down PET plastic in just 24 hours, whereas this material takes centuries to degrade naturally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9014,"featured_media":194612,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categoria_noticias":[13034,13078],"etiqueta_noticias":[],"class_list":["post-194950","noticias","type-noticias","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categoria_noticias-curiosities","categoria_noticias-innovation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias\/194950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/noticias"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9014"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias\/194950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categoria_noticias","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categoria_noticias?post=194950"},{"taxonomy":"etiqueta_noticias","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/etiqueta_noticias?post=194950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}