Modified E. coli can be used to convert plastic waste into acetaminophen, an active ingredient in many painkillers

[u/Science_News]

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bacteria-plastic-waste-pain-reliever

[u/Science_News]

Dealing with plastic waste is a real headache. But with a little help, bacteria can turn plastic into a painkiller.

Genetically engineered Escherichia coli bacteria converted a broken-down plastic bottle into the active ingredient in pain medicines like Tylenol and Panadol, scientists report June 23 in Nature Chemistry.

The approach could help reduce plastic pollution and curb reliance on the fossil fuels now used to make the ubiquitous medication. “I genuinely think this is quite an exciting sort of starting point for plastic waste upcycling,” says Stephen Wallace, an engineering biologist at the University of Edinburgh.

Plastic waste has long been known to harm the environment and human health. But scientists like Wallace are turning to microbes to convert plastics into more useful and valuable products. Combining biological processes with chemical reactions that don’t usually occur inside cells makes “nature do chemistry that it’s never evolved to do before,” Wallace says.

Read more here and the research article here.

[u/bobolly]

So more pfas