Contents 1 Polylactic acid (PLA) Degradation Module 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Objective and Design 1.3 The Model

Polylactic acid (PLA) Degradation Module

Introduction

The efficiency of Polylactic acid is important for the performance of MAPLE. Therefore, we chose a strong enzyme Proteinase K which is suggested by many literature as an efficient PLA degrading enzyme. We performed several assays in order to determine the kinetic properties of Proteinase K. The PLA degradation model was then built based on the experimental results.

Objective and Design

<p>1. With the defined kinetic properties of Proteinase K. The model can predict the time needed to degrade a certain amount of PLA. The information is important as it estimates the efficiency of the MAPLE system when degrading the large amount of plastic.Therefore, further improvements can be made if the system is not efficient.

2. The model also involves the gene expression model of the Proteinase K with an inducible promoter. Therefore, gene expression can be regulated by adjusting the inducer concentration. The overall plastic degradation can be regulated by the gene expression.

3. The secretion model is also contained in the model which assumes the efficiency of enzyme secretion to the culture.

The Model