MIXed plastics biodegradation and UPcycling using microbial communities: the NSFC-EU 2019 project MIX-UP to help achieve

Jie Zhou; Haijia SU; Qiong WU; Jianmin Xing; Weiliang Dong; Min Jiang

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MIXed plastics biodegradation and UPcycling using microbial communities: the NSFC-EU 2019 project MIX-UP to help achieve "carbon neutrality".

Author: Jie ZHOU ¹ ; Haijia SU ² ; Qiong WU ³ ; Jianmin XING ⁴ ; Weiliang DONG ¹ ; Min JIANG ¹
Author Information

1. State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, Jiangsu, China.
2. College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
3. Department Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, School of Life Science, Beijing 100084, China.
4. CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: MIX-UP; biological circular economy; carbon neutral; international cooperation; microbial consortia/enzyme cocktails; waste plastics mixtures
MeSH: Biodegradation, Environmental; Biotechnology; Carbon; European Union; Microbiota; Plastics
From: Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2021;37(10):3414-3424
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: With the transformation and revolution of the global plastics recycling system, recycling and upcycling of mixed plastics waste not only reduces the carbon emissions of plastics during its life cycle, but also addresses its potential ecological and environmental hazards. This article summarizes an international cooperation project, "MIXed plastics biodegradation and UPcycling using microbial communities" (MIX-UP) which was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the European Union (NSFC-EU) in 2019. The consortium of MIX-UP consists of 14 partners from European Union and China. Focusing on the global issue of "plastics pollution", this Sino-European MIX-UP project took the mixed waste of petroleum-based plastics (PP, PE, PUR, PET and PS) and bio-based plastics (PLA and PHA) as starting materials for biotechnological conversion into value-added, sustainable biomaterials. MIX-UP has three subprojects: 1) identification of plastics biodegradation pathway and design & engineering of key degrading elements, 2) construction and functional regulation of microbial consortia/enzyme cocktails with high-efficiency for degradation of plastics mixtures, 3) strategy of design and utilization of plastics degradation products for production of high value materials. Through NSFC-EU complementary and cross-disciplinary cooperation, MIX-UP proposes the engineering of a new-to-nature biological route for upcycling, a low carbon and sustainable bio-treatment that is different from the traditional physico-chemical treatment, which will empower the recycling industry to a new dimension. The implementation of the project will not only help to promote innovation and development in the field of biotechnology in China, but also contribute to the achievement of China's carbon neutral goal.