A bacterium species capable of breaking down plastic — poly(ethylene terephthalate), or PET — has been identified by a team of Japanese researchers. The bacterium uses two enzymes in sequence to break down the highly biodegradable-resistant polymer PET. The results are published on Friday (March 11) in the journal Science.

Except for rare instances of two fungi that have been found to grow on a mineral medium of PET yarns, there are no reports of any bacteria biologically degrading PET or growing on the chemically inert substance.

Shosuke Yoshida, the first author of the paper from the Department of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, and others collected 250 debris-contaminated samples from a PET bottle recycling site. They looked for microorganisms that relied on PET film as a primary source of carbon for growth..............Read more

Source: The Hindu