How industrial biocatalysts are driving cost-competitive, low-energy PET recycling

The article discusses advances in enzymatic recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), highlighting how engineered biocatalysts are enabling cost-competitive and energy-efficient recycling processes that can rival virgin PET production. Traditional mechanical and chemical recycling methods face challenges such as polymer degradation, inability to process colored or multi-layer plastics, and high energy consumption. Enzymatic recycling uses specialized enzymes to break down PET directly into its monomers—terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol—allowing for a closed-loop system that produces virgin-grade PET. Notably, a process developed by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in partnership with the University of Portsmouth achieves recycled PET at $1.51/kg, undercutting the typical virgin PET cost of about $1.87/kg, while reducing energy and chemical use by over 99%. A critical hurdle for enzymatic recycling is the heterogeneous nature of real-world PET waste, which includes colored bottles, mixed polymers, labels,