Researchers Working To Develop Ways To Recycle Polyester

Scientists in England are searching for a way to recycle polyester instead of throwing away the popular clothing material. Researchers say they're on the verge of cracking the code, and plastic-eating enzymes could give clothing new life.

"What we want to do is to see whether the enzymes that can break down these plastic bottles are also able to break down the polyester in fabrics such as this,” says molecular biophysics professor Andy Pickford.

To unravel the mystery, scientists at the University of Portsmouth are busy cutting up clothing and dipping it in liquid nitrogen to break it down into small particles. Those pieces are put in a water-based solution in a bioreactor with the enzymes, which digest the plastic and turn it back into raw material to make new plastic.

"Obviously we're looking for the enzyme that's the fastest, that's gonna break this down as quickly as possible,” says Dr. Victoria Bemmer,

Scientists say the enzymes could help recycle polyester and stop millions of tons of waste from ending up in landfills or being burned every year.

“The recycling rates for textiles when they reach their end of life is very, very poor, typically less than ten percent,” says Professor Pickford.

Polyester is typically made from petroleum, and it’s the most widely used clothing fiber in the world, accounting for sixty percent of what we wear. But experts say it’s not sustainable – especially when it’s dyed and treated with chemicals.

“So having a nature-inspired solution to reutilize the polymers that are in our clothing at end of life could be a real game changer, Pickford says.

A solution that could keep clothing off the pile and in our closets.

The research team has already found more than 70 enzymes that can break down plastic.

Now, they just need to pinpoint which one is best at targeting polyester.