Environmental Studies and Forestry

Engineering microbial division of labor for plastic upcycling

T. Bao, Y. Qian, et al.

Discover how a synthetic microbial consortium created by researchers Teng Bao, Yuanchao Qian, Yongping Xin, James J. Collins, and Ting Lu offers a groundbreaking solution to plastic pollution by efficiently upcycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into valuable chemicals. This innovative approach showcases enhanced degradation capabilities and the production of useful bioproducts.

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Abstract

Plastic pollution is a growing global problem. This paper presents a synthetic microbial consortium designed to efficiently upcycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into valuable chemicals. The consortium, composed of two *Pseudomonas putida* strains specializing in terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG) utilization, demonstrates superior performance compared to monocultures, exhibiting reduced catabolic cross-talk and faster degradation, especially at high substrate concentrations or with crude hydrolysate. The consortium also excels in producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) and *cis-cis* muconate (MA). This work highlights the potential of engineered microbial consortia for sustainable polymer upcycling.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Sep 26, 2023

Authors

Teng Bao, Yuanchao Qian, Yongping Xin, James J. Collins, Ting Lu

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