TY - JOUR
T1 - Current biotechnologies on depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and repolymerization of reclaimed monomers from PET for bio-upcycling
T2 - A critical review
AU - Kim, Na Kyung
AU - Lee, Sang Hoon
AU - Park, Hee Deung
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea ( NRF-2021R1A2C2007319 ) and a Korea University Grant .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/11
Y1 - 2022/11
N2 - The production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has drastically increased in the past half-century, reaching 30 million tons every year. The accumulation of this recalcitrant waste now threatens diverse ecosystems. Despite efforts to recycle PET wastes, its rate of recycling remains limited, as the current PET downcycling is mostly unremunerative. To address this problem, PET bio-upcycling, which integrates microbial depolymerization of PET followed by repolymerization of PET-derived monomers into value-added products, has been suggested. This article critically reviews current understanding of microbial PET hydrolysis, the metabolic mechanisms involved in PET degradation, PET hydrolases, and their genetic improvement. Furthermore, this review includes the use of meta-omics approaches to search PET-degrading microbiomes, microbes, and putative hydrolases. The current development of biosynthetic technologies to convert PET-derived materials into value-added products is also comprehensively discussed. The integration of various depolymerization and repolymerization biotechnologies enhances the prospects of a circular economy using waste PET.
AB - The production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has drastically increased in the past half-century, reaching 30 million tons every year. The accumulation of this recalcitrant waste now threatens diverse ecosystems. Despite efforts to recycle PET wastes, its rate of recycling remains limited, as the current PET downcycling is mostly unremunerative. To address this problem, PET bio-upcycling, which integrates microbial depolymerization of PET followed by repolymerization of PET-derived monomers into value-added products, has been suggested. This article critically reviews current understanding of microbial PET hydrolysis, the metabolic mechanisms involved in PET degradation, PET hydrolases, and their genetic improvement. Furthermore, this review includes the use of meta-omics approaches to search PET-degrading microbiomes, microbes, and putative hydrolases. The current development of biosynthetic technologies to convert PET-derived materials into value-added products is also comprehensively discussed. The integration of various depolymerization and repolymerization biotechnologies enhances the prospects of a circular economy using waste PET.
KW - Bio-upcycling
KW - Circular bioeconomy
KW - Microbial degradation
KW - Microbiome engineering
KW - PET hydrolase
KW - Polyethylene terephthalate
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85138019673&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127931
DO - 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127931
M3 - Review article
C2 - 36100185
AN - SCOPUS:85138019673
SN - 0960-8524
VL - 363
JO - Bioresource Technology
JF - Bioresource Technology
M1 - 127931
ER -
