Thursday, August 7, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Technology and Engineering

A microbial plastic factory for high-quality green plastic

April 10, 2024
in Technology and Engineering
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Taguchi LAHB Fracture
65
SHARES
595
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water. The Kobe University development provides a platform for the industrial-scale, tunable production of a material that holds great potential for turning the plastic industry green.

Taguchi LAHB Fracture

Credit: KOH Sangho

Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water. The Kobe University development provides a platform for the industrial-scale, tunable production of a material that holds great potential for turning the plastic industry green.

Plastic is a hallmark of our civilization. It is a family of highly formable (hence the name), versatile and durable materials, most of which are also persistent in nature and therefore a significant source of pollution. Moreover, many plastics are produced from crude oil, a non-renewable resource. Engineers and researchers worldwide are searching for alternatives, but none have been found that exhibit the same advantages as conventional plastics while avoiding their problems. One of the most promising alternatives is polylactic acid, which can be produced from plants, but it is brittle and does not degrade well.

To overcome these difficulties, Kobe University bioengineers around TAGUCHI Seiichi together with the biodegradable polymer manufacturing company Kaneka Corporation decided to mix polylactic acid with another bioplastic, called LAHB, which has a range of desirable properties, but most of all it is biodegradable and mixes well with polylactic acid. However, in order to produce LAHB, they needed to engineer a strain of bacteria that naturally produces a precursor, by systematically manipulating the organism’s genome through the addition of new genes and the deletion of interfering ones.

In the scientific journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, they now report that they could thus create a bacterial plastic factory that produces chains of LAHB in high amounts, using just glucose as feedstock. In addition, they also show that by modifying the genome, they could control the length of the LAHB chain and thus the properties of the resulting plastic. They were thus able to produce LAHB chains up to ten times longer than with conventional methods, which they call “ultra-high molecular weight LAHB.”

Most importantly, by adding LAHB of this unprecedented length to polylactic acid, they could create a material that exhibits all the properties the researchers had aimed for. The resulting highly transparent plastic is much better moldable and more shock resistant than pure polylactic acid, and also biodegrades in seawater within a week. Taguchi comments on this achievement, saying “By blending polylactic acid with LAHB, the multiple problems of polylactic acid can be overcome in one fell swoop, and the so modified material is expected to become an environmentally sustainable bioplastic that satisfies the conflicting needs of physical robustness and biodegradability.”

The Kobe University bioengineers, however, dream bigger. The strain of bacteria they used in this work is in principle able to use CO2 as a raw material. It should thus be possible to synthesize useful plastics directly from the greenhouse gas. Taguchi explains, “Through the synergy of multiple projects, we aim to realize a biomanufacturing technology that effectively links microbial production and material development.”

This research was commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization of Japan (grant JPNP20005) and funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan (grant 19K22069) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (grant JPMJTM19YC). It was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Kaneka Corporation and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

Kobe University is a national university with roots dating back to the Kobe Commercial School founded in 1902. It is now one of Japan’s leading comprehensive research universities with nearly 16,000 students and nearly 1,700 faculty in 10 faculties and schools and 15 graduate schools. Combining the social and natural sciences to cultivate leaders with an interdisciplinary perspective, Kobe University creates knowledge and fosters innovation to address society’s challenges.



Journal

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

DOI

10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c07662

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Microbial platform for tailor-made production of biodegradable polylactide modifier: Ultra-high-molecular weight lactate-based polyester LAHB

Article Publication Date

9-Apr-2024

Share26Tweet16
Previous Post

AACR: Trio of studies highlights promising early results with new cancer therapies and targets

Next Post

How does China’s Agricultural Green Development promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals?

Related Posts

blank
Technology and Engineering

Revolutionary Hybrid Neural Network Enhances Battery State Estimation

August 7, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

From East to West: The Role of Microbes in Crafting Sausage Flavor

August 7, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Label-Free Multi-Photon Imaging of NADH in Brain

August 7, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Boosting Li2FeSiO4 Cathodes with Sn and rGO Doping

August 7, 2025
blank
Medicine

Allogeneic Microglia Transplants Restore Brain Therapy

August 7, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Optimizing Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Accurately

August 7, 2025
Next Post
Figure 1

How does China’s Agricultural Green Development promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals?

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27530 shares
    Share 11009 Tweet 6881
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    942 shares
    Share 377 Tweet 236
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    641 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    506 shares
    Share 202 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Mapping SeGPx in S. digitata Genome and Extract
  • Enzyme-Responsive Packaging Revolutionizes Food Preservation
  • Youth and OTC CBD Use: Spain’s Current Landscape
  • Ilimaquinone: A Novel Antibacterial Agent from Marine Sponges

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,859 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading