CAREER: Development of novel biocatalyst for consolidated bioprocessing of plastic (CBPP)

Over 20 million tons of plastic entered the environment last year. This represents a large amount of carbon that could otherwise be used productively. It also represents a large source of microplastics, which harm human health.

This project is focused on a novel microorganism capable of deconstructing plastics into its basic building blocks, referred to as monomers. These monomers could be used to produce other valuable chemicals. The metabolism of the organisms will be characterized.

It will then be engineered to produce several valuable chemicals. To train the next generation workforce needed to combat plastic pollution and work in future bioindustries, several courses and educational outreach programs will be developed.

Microbes can deconstruct plastics. This is often a slow and incomplete process. This is due to the compact molecular nature of the material and the toxic intermediates created during deconstruction.

This project will investigate a novel organism, Erwinia aphidicola LJJL01, to elucidate its capabilities the deconstruction and catabolism of mixed plastic. These include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethane (PU), polycarbonate (PC). This bacterium has been engineered to efficiently break down PET into its original monomers.

It shows high tolerance to plastic-derived compounds A time-resolved, multi-omics approach will be employed to identify key factors that increase secretion of plastic degradation enzymes and chemical toxicity tolerance. The objectives are two-fold. Developing efficient microbial processes to selectively deconstruct mixed plastic waste under mild conditions is the first.

The second is to funnel and functionalize PET, PU, and PC deconstructed compounds to synthesize several high-value monomers.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.