Background
Plastics are highly persistent materials that resist degradation. When large quantities of uncollected plastics accumulate in terrestrial and aquatic environments without degrading, they pose severe threats to ecosystems.
These plastic wastes fragment into microscopic particles known as "microplastics," creating an additional pollution challenge that is exceptionally difficult to resolve.
Project Goals
To enhance the degradation and recycling of PET plastics, we aim to:
screen and engineer high-efficiency plastic-degrading enzymes to improve their catalytic performance
The polyethylene terephthalate hydrolases (PETases) demonstrated the ability to degrade PET into mono-2-hydroxyethyl-terephthalate (MHET) and other intermediates.
The mono 2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate hydrolase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of MHET into iterephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). We enable efficient degradation and recycling of plastics through the synergistic action of dual enzymes.
Team Introduction
As a high school team from HWFLA-Beijing School participating in iGEM, every member has contributed their efforts. We hope to call on humanity to protect the earth—our only home.
