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Enzymes as Enhancers for the Biodegradation of Synthetic Polymers in Wastewater
Author(s) -
Haernvall Karolina,
Zitzenbacher Sabine,
Biundo Antonino,
Yamamoto Motonori,
Schick Michael Bernhard,
Ribitsch Doris,
Guebitz Georg M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.201700364
Subject(s) - biodegradation , polyester , hydrolysis , wastewater , chemistry , cutinase , polymer , pseudomonas putida , pseudomonas , organic chemistry , enzyme , bacteria , waste management , biology , engineering , genetics
Synthetic polyesters are today the second‐largest class of ingredients in household products and are entering wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) after product utilization. One approach to improve polymer biodegradation in wastewater would be to complement current processes with polyester‐hydrolyzing enzymes and their microbial producers. In this study, the hydrolysis of poly(oxyethylene terephthalate) polymer by hydrolases from wastewater microorganisms was investigated in vitro and under realistic WWTP conditions. An esterase and a cutinase from Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes and a lipase from Pseudomonas pelagia were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21‐Gold(DE3) and were purified by a C‐terminal His 6 tag. The hydrolases were proven to hydrolyze the polymer effectively, which is a prerequisite for further biodegradation. The hydrolases maintained high activity up to 50 % upon lowering the temperature from 28 to 15 °C to mimic WWTP conditions. The hydrolases were also not inhibited by the wastewater matrix. Polyester‐hydrolyzing enzymes active under WWTP conditions and their microbial producers thus have the potential to improve biological treatment of wastewater rich in synthetic polymers.