Non-Hydrolyzable Plastics - An Interdisciplinary Look at Plastic Bio-Oxidation

Abstract

Enzymatic plastic conversion has emerged recently as a potential adjunct and alternative to conventional plastic waste management technology. Publicity over progress in the enzymatic degradation of polyesters largely neglects that the majority of commercial plastics, including polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride, are still not biodegradable. Details about the mechanisms used by enzymes and an understanding of macromolecular factors influencing these have proved to be vital in developing biodegradation methods for polyesters. To expand the application of enzymatic degradation to other more recalcitrant plastics, extensive knowledge gaps need to be addressed. By drawing on interdisciplinary knowledge, we suggest that physicochemical influences also have a crucial impact on reactions in less well-studied types of plastic, and these need to be investigated in detail.

Keywords: chain-flexibility hypothesis; plastic biodegradation; polymer degradation.