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….