AI-engineered enzyme eats plastic
Reddit post & Popularity
Chung, François [u/fchung]. “AI-engineered enzyme eats entire plastic containers.” Reddit, 29 May 2022, www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/v0dmxu/aiengineered_enzyme_eats_entire_plastic_containers.
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Krämer, Katrina. “AI-engineered enzyme eats entire plastic containers.” Chemistry World, 9 May 2022, www.chemistryworld.com/news/ai-engineered-enzyme-eats-entire-plastic-containers/4015620.article.
A plastic-degrading enzyme enhanced by amino acid changes engineered by a machine-learning algorithm can depolymerize polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at least twice as fast, and at lower temperatures, than today's best enzyme. It all started when, six years ago, scientists digging through the debris of a plastic bottle recycling plant discovered a bacterium capable of degrading PET. The engineered enzyme was able to break down an untreated plastic container in 48 hours.
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