An Australian company banking on harnessing enzymes with the ability to chomp through plastic “like Pac-Man” has raised more than A$50 million (US$33.52 million) in a bid to turn waste recycling on its head.
The synthetic proteins, developed by researchers at Australian National University, can break down almost any plastic product into reusable high-quality components in a matter of minutes.
The by-products can then be used to create more plastic of brand-new quality.
“The enzyme ... comes along, and it literally just breaks the polymer chain, and then we just separate out the various components that are left over,” says Paul Riley, CEO of Aussie enviro-tech start-up Samsara Eco which has turned the research into a reality.
“It has the potential to be totally game-changing. It has the potential to move the dial on carbon.”
So convinced is he, Samsara aims to have a textile and bottle recycling plant up and running in Melbourne by the end of 2023.
Currently, only a small portion of clear and clean plastics put out for collection can be mechanically recycled. Most ends up in the landfill.
Even then, the process could be better described as ‘downcycling’ and can only happen about four or five times in the lifespan of the plastic, Riley says.
“Mechanical [recycling] is just a simple heat, melt and extrude process before its structural integrity degrades to the point where it ends up in landfill as well.
“So this technology is quite amazing - it’s virgin-equivalent monomer with no structural degradation at all.”
