Carbios develops enzyme to promote recycling of PET

Carbios SA has announced the development of its enzymatic biorecycling process of polyesters applied to crystalline polyethylene terephthalate (PET). An article in Recycling Product News reports that the new enzyme may make possible recycling of all plastic waste containing PET, including bottles (transparent, opaque or multi-layer), packaging (including cosmetics) and films.

The patented depolymerization process developed by Carbios, a chemistry company based in France, enables the regeneration of monomers with no loss in quality. After separation and purification, monomers derived from the enzymatic biorecycling process could then be used for the synthesis of virgin PET.

The Carbios enzyme technology may satisfy demands of PET plastic manufacturers and address issues of the recycling industry. By making amorphous and crystalline PET infinitely recyclable, Carbios could open a new market of high-performance plastics composed entirely of recycled PET.

The article says that the Carbios technology may help meet the European Commission Circular Economy Package goal of recycling at least 55 percent of plastics by 2025.