E. coli is capable of turning plastic waste into paracetamol and could offer a new and sustainable production method, according to a new study by the University of Edinburgh.
Published in the journal Nature Chemistry, the researchers looked to combine traditional chemistry with engineering biology to create sustainable chemicals using the plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
They used a biocompatible Lossen rearrangement to transform PET-derived terephthalic acid from industrial waste into paracetamol using a harmless and genetically reprogrammed E. coli catalysed by phosphate.
Carried out at room temperature and in less than 24 hours, 92% of the final yield was paracetamol.
The researchers said this paves the way ‘for a general strategy to bioremediate and upcycle plastic waste in native and engineered biological systems’.
Sustainable paracetamol production
The process created virtually no carbon emissions, unlike traditional paracetamol production methods reliant on fossil fuels such as crude oil.
What’s more, over 350 million tons of PET waste is produced annually, often ending up in landfill or polluting oceans. While PET recycling is possible, the resulting products continue to contribute to plastic pollution throughout their lifetime.
This innovative paracetamol production process generates a circular economy by producing sustainable chemicals, reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions and disrupting the reliance on fossil fuels.
Plastic with the ‘potential for treating disease’
Professor Stephen Wallace, UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellow and chair of Chemical Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘This work demonstrates that PET plastic isn’t just waste, or a material destined to become more plastic – it can be transformed by microorganisms into valuable new products, including those with potential for treating disease.’
Further development is needed before paracetamol can be produced using this method at commercial levels, the researchers said.
‘Future work will also focus on applying the biocompatible Lossen rearrangement to other chemo-enzymatic cascades and fully integrating this new-to-nature reaction within metabolically evolved microorganisms,’ they added.
Earlier this year, a study examined public and prescriber perceptions of pharmaceutical pollution in Scotland’s water environment, with a focus on eco-directed sustainable prescribing as a strategy to mitigate this pollution.
