An efficient bacterial laccase-mediated system for polyurethane foam degradation
Polyurethane (PU), a segmented block copolymer with chemically resistant urethane linkages and tunable architecture, presents persistent biological recycling challenges. This study presents a Bacterial Laccase-Mediated System (BLMS) derived from Bacillus subtilis for efficient degradation of polyest...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1638208/full |
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| author | Xiaomin Zhu Youren Duan Jianqi Lu Wei Xia Yujia Peng Jiawei Liu Weiliang Dong Weiliang Dong Min Jiang Min Jiang |
| author_facet | Xiaomin Zhu Youren Duan Jianqi Lu Wei Xia Yujia Peng Jiawei Liu Weiliang Dong Weiliang Dong Min Jiang Min Jiang |
| author_sort | Xiaomin Zhu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Polyurethane (PU), a segmented block copolymer with chemically resistant urethane linkages and tunable architecture, presents persistent biological recycling challenges. This study presents a Bacterial Laccase-Mediated System (BLMS) derived from Bacillus subtilis for efficient degradation of polyester- and polyether-PU. Utilizing the laccase CotA and mediator 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), the BLMS demonstrated effective de polymerization of both commercial and self-synthesized PU foams, including polyester- and polyether-types. The weight loss of the self-synthesized polyester-foam and the commercial polyether-foam reached up to 21.24 ± 1.20% and 3.81 ± 0.36%, respectively. Subsequently, we detected oxygenated products such as ketones, alcohols, aldehydes, acids, esters, ethers, and 2,4– toluenediamine (2,4-TDA) indicating that bacterial laccase CotA exhibited redox catalytic activity toward PU. Moreover, an interesting phenomenon was observed during the degradation process that the solution turned purple. We predicted that this attribute to the enzymatic oxidation of ABTS to the radical cation ABTS·+, which subsequently reacts with 2,4-TDA to form the purple product. This study finds a plastic degrading enzyme capable of hydrolyzing urethane bonds in PU, offering a promising contribution to the development of a bio-based circular economy for PU biodegradation and recycling. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f1eb62dccfa44d9db6fa9686b4b00b37 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-f1eb62dccfa44d9db6fa9686b4b00b372025-08-25T05:25:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-08-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.16382081638208An efficient bacterial laccase-mediated system for polyurethane foam degradationXiaomin Zhu0Youren Duan1Jianqi Lu2Wei Xia3Yujia Peng4Jiawei Liu5Weiliang Dong6Weiliang Dong7Min Jiang8Min Jiang9Key Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, ChinaPolyurethane (PU), a segmented block copolymer with chemically resistant urethane linkages and tunable architecture, presents persistent biological recycling challenges. This study presents a Bacterial Laccase-Mediated System (BLMS) derived from Bacillus subtilis for efficient degradation of polyester- and polyether-PU. Utilizing the laccase CotA and mediator 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), the BLMS demonstrated effective de polymerization of both commercial and self-synthesized PU foams, including polyester- and polyether-types. The weight loss of the self-synthesized polyester-foam and the commercial polyether-foam reached up to 21.24 ± 1.20% and 3.81 ± 0.36%, respectively. Subsequently, we detected oxygenated products such as ketones, alcohols, aldehydes, acids, esters, ethers, and 2,4– toluenediamine (2,4-TDA) indicating that bacterial laccase CotA exhibited redox catalytic activity toward PU. Moreover, an interesting phenomenon was observed during the degradation process that the solution turned purple. We predicted that this attribute to the enzymatic oxidation of ABTS to the radical cation ABTS·+, which subsequently reacts with 2,4-TDA to form the purple product. This study finds a plastic degrading enzyme capable of hydrolyzing urethane bonds in PU, offering a promising contribution to the development of a bio-based circular economy for PU biodegradation and recycling.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1638208/fullpolyurethanebacterial laccase CotAABTSdegradation mechanismcolor shift |
| spellingShingle | Xiaomin Zhu Youren Duan Jianqi Lu Wei Xia Yujia Peng Jiawei Liu Weiliang Dong Weiliang Dong Min Jiang Min Jiang An efficient bacterial laccase-mediated system for polyurethane foam degradation Frontiers in Microbiology polyurethane bacterial laccase CotA ABTS degradation mechanism color shift |
| title | An efficient bacterial laccase-mediated system for polyurethane foam degradation |
| title_full | An efficient bacterial laccase-mediated system for polyurethane foam degradation |
| title_fullStr | An efficient bacterial laccase-mediated system for polyurethane foam degradation |
| title_full_unstemmed | An efficient bacterial laccase-mediated system for polyurethane foam degradation |
| title_short | An efficient bacterial laccase-mediated system for polyurethane foam degradation |
| title_sort | efficient bacterial laccase mediated system for polyurethane foam degradation |
| topic | polyurethane bacterial laccase CotA ABTS degradation mechanism color shift |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1638208/full |
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