{"id":2390,"date":"2021-08-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/modernsciences.org\/?p=2390"},"modified":"2021-10-05T05:25:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T05:25:30","slug":"scientists-use-bacteria-to-transform-waste-pet-into-vanilla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/scientists-use-bacteria-to-transform-waste-pet-into-vanilla\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Use Bacteria to Transform Waste PET Into Vanilla"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vanillin, with the molecular formula C8<\/sub>H8<\/sub>O3<\/sub>, is the primary component of vanilla bean extract. Global vanillin demand in 2018 reached about 37,000 metric tons\u2014as good a sign as any of its importance in the pharmaceutical, cleaning, cosmetics, and food industries\u2014and has far exceeded the supply given by natural vanilla beans. As a result, around 85% of vanillin produced worldwide is instead sourced by synthetic vanillin, produced by chemicals derived from fossil fuels. A new study published in Green Chemistry<\/em>, however, might add a new, more sustainable source to the mix: waste poly(ethylene terephthalate), also known as PET plastic, identifiable by the \u201c1\u201d resin identification code (RIC) commonly embossed on most plastic bottles the world over that are made with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh may have lit up a pathway to transform PET into vanillin by employing the services of Escherichia coli <\/em>(E. coli<\/em>) bacteria in a microbial broth together with terephthalic acid (TA), a building block of PET. While previous studies had already developed ways of reverting waste PET into its components such as TA\u2014with some even using enzymes to do the job\u2014the landmark research provides a method for further upcycling of PET into a functional compound that can be reintroduced to the global supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study did so by combining both TA and E. coli<\/em> into a microbial \u201cbroth,\u201d then heating the solution to 37 \u00b0C for about a day. According to researcher Stephen Wallace, from the University of Edinburgh, this converted about 79% of the TA present in the mix into vanillin. The team wishes to push the vanillin conversion rate further by tweaking the E. coli<\/em>\u2019s DNA; said Wallace: \u201cWe think we can do that pretty quickly. We have an amazing roboticized DNA assembly facility here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement made by Joanna Sadler, first author of the work and also from the University of Edinburgh, their work \u201cchallenges the perception of plastic being a problematic waste,\u201d further saying that \u201cit demonstrates [plastic\u2019s] use as a new carbon resource from which high value products can be made.\u201d The team also hopes to explore the possibility of upscaling the conversion process further, as well as the possibility of converting TA to other functional compounds other than vanillin, in future works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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