Back Article

Figure 1. 

Diagram of the steps involved in biocatalyzed plastic degradation. The source is a microorganism (bacterium or fungus) in the proper amount with stable enzymatic and growth activities and low cost. Biocatalyst(s) would be isolated from the source (1) and if needed this source can be improved through genetic engineering technology (2) to be able to secrete only a specific enzyme that could be used as a biocatalyst (3). In the case of whole cell catalysis, the source can be used directly as a biocatalyst. Recombinant DNA technology could be employed to generate mutant strains with an increased production of desired enzymes and a minimum production of undesirable enzymes (4). The biocatalyst should be characterized (5) and in some cases modified to improve the catalytic efficiency (6), so that it can be produced in large amounts (7). The recovery of the biocatalyst (8) should be ensured in a well-developed and sophisticated bioreactor (9).