Browsing by Author "Caguana Tenelema, Wilma Alexandra"

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    Degradación de polietileno tereftalato (PET) mediante el uso de la enzima IsPETasa N212A/S238Y a escala de biorreactor
    (Universidad Técnica de Ambato. Facultad de Ciencia e Ingeniería en Alimentos y Biotecnología. Carrera de Biotecnología, 2024-08) Caguana Tenelema, Wilma Alexandra; García Solís, Mario Daniel
    Plastic production in 2022 reached 400.3 metric tons, of which only 8.9 percent was recycled, while the remainder ended up in the environment. PET accounts for 6.2 percent of total plastic production, which represents a source of pollution of concern due to its low level of degradation and a half-life of more than 2,500 years. Conventional recycling methods (physical and chemical) cause secondary contamination, so biological recycling (biodegradation) through enzymes has been chosen. In this study, the degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using the enzyme IsPETase N212A S238Y was evaluated at bioreactor scale. After production of PETase enzyme at bioreactor scale using whey as autoinduction medium, 5 grams micronized commercial PET (PETc) was combined with 0.67 micromol of PETase prepared in 200 milliliters of 100 millimolar KPO4 buffer pH 8 for the degradation process. After 48 hours, biphasic degradation kinetics was observed. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed cleavages and cracked edges in the polymer. The N212A S238Y PETase enzyme PETase showed a 2.8 percent yield in the degradation of commercial PET (PETc) at bioreactor scale. This study suggests a new technology for sustainable PET recycling.