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Enzymatic degradation of PET plastic

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dc.contributor.authorGriffiths, Erin
dc.contributor.authorSlowinski, Stephanie
dc.contributor.authorHonek, John
dc.contributor.authorVan Cappellen, Philippe
dc.contributor.authorRezanezhad, Fereidoun
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-22T21:11:54Z
dc.date.available2024-02-22T21:11:54Z
dc.date.issued2024-02-02
dc.description.abstractPrevious work has shown that the degradation of plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using commercial grade enzymes is possible and highly effective in lab settings. However, the environmental factors controlling enzymatic plastic degradation are not well studied. In this study, a commercial hydrolytic enzyme was used to study the effect of incubation temperature, exposure to freeze-thaw cycles and extreme temperatures on the degradability of laboratory-grade PET. In addition, we also assessed the degradability of consumer-grade PET, sourced from plastic bottles, for comparison to the laboratory-grade PET. In addition to measuring degradation rates, we also looked at how both the various treatments/pre-treatments and hydrolytic degradation modified the PET’s physical and chemical properties using: fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile strength measurements.en
dc.description.sponsorshipNSERC, Grant No: ALLRP 558435 – 20 || Global Water Futures (GWF), Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10012/20361
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity of Waterlooen
dc.subjectmicroplasticsen
dc.subjectpolyethylene terephthalateen
dc.subjectpolymer degradationen
dc.subjectenzymatic degradationen
dc.subjecthydrolysisen
dc.subjecthumicola insolens cutinaseen
dc.titleEnzymatic degradation of PET plasticen
dc.typeConference Posteren
dcterms.bibliographicCitationGriffiths, E., Honek, J., Smith, R., Slowinski, S., Rezanezhad, F. & Van Cappellen, P. (2024). Enzymatic degradation of PET plastic. University of Waterloo.en
uws.contributor.affiliation1Faculty of Scienceen
uws.contributor.affiliation2Earth and Environmental Sciencesen
uws.peerReviewStatusUnrevieweden
uws.scholarLevelGraduateen
uws.typeOfResourceTexten

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