Researchers in the BOTTLE Consortium, including from the US Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Washington, DC/USA, and the University of Portsmouth, NH/ USA, have identified using enzymes as a more sustainable approach for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET). An analysis shows enzyme-recycled PET has potential improvement over conventional, fossil-based methods of PET production across a broad spectrum of energy, carbon, and socioeconomic impacts. The concept, if further developed and implemented at scale, could lead to new opportunities for PET recycling and create a mechanism for recycling textiles and other materials also made from PET that are traditionally not recycled today.
展开▼
