The field of plastics research, both in terms of dealing with the current problems caused by plastics and researching new materials that can replace plastics, is broad and multidisciplinary. Throughout our project, we have had a lot of material and research to go through and take inspiration from, whether it comes from an academic institution, an innovative company, or a non-profit organization working to clean our environments from pollution. We reached out to stakeholders in different fields and with different ambitions in order to discuss our idea and possibly get some feedback. Our discussions touched on several topics, but ultimately could be boiled down to: Would our PETerminator be a realistic solution to such a big and complicated problem?
In order to get a better view of these issues, we invited several speakers to present their research to us. The goal for our series of online expert lectures was to get a better view of the problems of plastic and its role in our lives. We also searched out other views on plastic, for example how to make current plastic better in terms of the environment, since we also recognize that it is an important material in for example the scientific and medical field. Therefore, we invited speakers from different fields, who had varying perspectives on this subject.
Expert Lecture with Wolfgang Streit
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Streit
The very first expert lecture we organized was held by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Streit from the department of microbiology and biotechnology at the University of Hamburg. We contacted him because of his team’s extensive work with plastic degrading enzymes and the article “New Insights into the Function and Global Distribution of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)-Degrading Bacteria and Enzymes in Marine and Terrestrial Metagenomes” (2018) written by him and his team, which brought up many interesting aspects that are relevant to our project. Wolfgang’s presentation focused on his research in finding the best “plastic-eating” bacteria and proved to be not only very intriguing, but also relevant and valuable for our project. After a short introduction to the problematic of plastic pollution and an overview of currently known plastic-degrading enzymes, which included both LCC and PETase studied in our project, professor Streit focused on his search for the new and better enzymes, which could degrade plastic more efficiently. In his metagenomic studies, environmental samples are sequenced and potential candidates for plastic-degrading enzymes are identified using hidden Markov models. These candidate genes are expressed through in vitro transcription and translation and screened for their activity. Professor Streit also mentioned a database set up by his colleagues Plastics-Active Enzymes Database (PAZy), which accumulates all knowledge concerning plastic-degrading enzymes.
After the lecture we discussed our project and gained some expert input on several aspects of our design, such as the advantages and disadvantages of our chosen bacteria and our proposed single-cell model. Even though in nature plastic-degrading bacteria always work together with other strains and species, he agreed that for industrial application, which was our ultimate goal, it would be favorable to comprise the pathway into a single organism, for easier maintenance and monitoring. The lecture and following discussion gave us great insight into actual scientific workflow for searching for new potential industrially applicable enzymes and was beneficial and appreciated by the whole team.
Expert Lecture with Wael Abdelmoez
Prof. Dr. Wael Abdelmoez
As our next speaker we invited Wael Abdelmoez, a Professor of Environment & Energy at Mlnia University, Faculty of Engineering, who managed to find time in his busy schedule to talk with us about novel types of plastics and biodegradable plastics. His research focusing on bio- and oxo-degradable plastics was very attractive for us, since it showed yet another perspective on the problems of plastic in the world. Oxo-degradable plastics were mentioned to be currently available, but not providing a solution to the plastic pollution problem, which can be only achieved with truly biodegradable plastics. These plastics would need to be made of currently known biopolymers, such as polysaccharides or proteins, which have existing enzymes for their degradation. This however presents several challenges to make these biodegradable plastics durable enough for actual use and to make the production economically viable. The cheap production of plastics derived from fossil fuels is a major drawback, making development of alternatives extremely difficult, since they cannot compete with the price of traditional plastics. His lecture was truly interesting and professor Abdelmoez’s enthusiasm for the field was contagious and deeply appreciated by our team.
Expert Lecture with Leanne Tonkin
Doctoral researcher Leanne Tonkin
Our final speaker was Leanne Tonkin, a postgraduate researcher, lecturer and conservator in contemporary textile and fashion from Nottingham Trent University, UK. In her research, Leanne focuses on preserving plastic artefacts rather than degrading them. In her presentation she showed us how fashion artefacts made of plastic degrade in their quality and properties in only a few decades and how difficult it is to find suitable conditions to preserve such objects. It was surprising to learn how fragile plastic is in some circumstances, since plastics are usually presented as indestructible “forever” materials. Towards the end of the lecture, she mentioned the contemporary trend of novel biodegradable materials, which is a great move towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable fashion, but presents a big challenge for conservators such as Leanne Tonkin, who try to preserve fashion articles for future generations as important cultural heritage. This lecture gave us a very different perspective on plastics, since we are very used to seeing plastic as a problem only. It is an important media used for art and fashion, not only for single use plastic straws as is often the view. Plastics have a major role in almost all aspects of our life, even art, which is a big reason why it is so hard to simply abandon this material.