Efficient depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene furanoate by engineered PET hydrolase Cut190

Abstract

Key points 1. The increased surface area of PET promotes its hydrolysis by Cut190, supporting the surface erosion mechanism by a two-step process (endo-type scission of a polymer chain and exo-type hydrolysis of depolymerized fragments). 2. Dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride functioned as a binding module between Cut190 and PET surface, showing the higher hydrolysis rate at 65 °C than at 70 °C in the absence of the detergent. 3. The best performing Cut190 variant produced more than 90 mM degradation products at 63 °C in 3 days and approximately 80 mM at 65 °C in one day, using amorphous PET powders. Additionally, polyethylene furanoate was highly hydrolyzed at 63 °C in 3 days by the Cut190 variant.

Keywords

• Cut190 variant
• PET hydrolase
• Micronization
• Milling
• PET package
• PET bottle