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Team:Imperial College/BioPlastic Recycling: PLA
From 2013.igem.org
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Revision as of 12:41, 17 September 2013
Recycling PLA
Overview
The bioplastic recycling module will look at closing the loop on bioplastics before they even begin to gain traction as a viable and more desirable plastic. We will be looking at degrading and synthesising polylactic acid (PLA) and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) using a fully biological system. The byproducts from the breakdown of our bioplastics will be separated then purified in order to allow them to be reused in industry
[[File:SynthesisIC.jpg|thumbnail|left|600px|A diagrammatic representation of our P3HB recycling system]]Polylactic acid (PLA) is for the most part, a chemically derived aliphatic polyester. PLA can be moulded into a product and is used as a feedstock in 3D printing. The bioplastic has high strength and is a thermoplastic. It represents a growing market within the plastic industry, one which will inevitably require degradation at a recycling plant [http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/4048/PDF]. Currently only tentative pilot studies have been made towards engineering a biological mechanism to enhance degradation. We thus intend to use shredded PLA as a feedstock to breakdown this bioplastic, with enzymes capable of breaking both L- and D- enantiomeric bonds.
References[1] http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/4048/PDF
Specification
