400 million
coffee cups are sent to
landfill in Hong Kong annually(SCMP,2022).
A project on complete biodegradation of mixed plastic waste (i.e. paper cups)
coffee cups are sent to
landfill in Hong Kong annually(SCMP,2022).
Paper cups are advertised as environmentally-friendly and as an alternative to replace plastic cups. However, it is not the full story. In fact, plastics are one of the essential components of these paper cups. The coating of most paper cups contains a small amount of polyethylene (PE) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
These plastic-containing products are non-recyclable and are abandoned as waste. In just a day, 2331 tonnes of plastic are sent to landfills, but only 285 tonnes of plastics are recycled(Environmental Protection department, 2021). To make matter worse, we continuously promote and use such alternatives, without the aware of their recyclability.
The plastic coating ends up as microplastics through both biotic and abiotic degradation, including photodegradation by ultraviolet irradiation(Zhang, 2021).
Microplastic may enter the soil and the ocean, causing harm to living organisms. Living creatures when ingested microplastics, will lead to serious health problems such as reducing food intake and inducing oxidative damage in cells(Mao, 2022).
The accumulation of microplastics in the food chain will eventually jeopardise the well-being of us(Lu, 2019).
Laccase, Lignin Peroxidase (LiP), Manganese Peroxidase (MnP) can degrade PE & PFAS coating.
Through adjusting the spatial distances between the RBS site and start codon, the transcription process can be optimized, so to maximize protein yield of the enzymes.
Plastic degradation efficiency will be determined by measuring and charaterizing the enzymatic activity, such as the optimal enzyme concentration.
We asked and listened to the opinions from different sectors and improved our project.
We promoted our ideas and synthetic biology to the next generation and the general public.
References
Zhang, K., Hamidian, A. H., Tubić, A., Zhang, Y., Fang, J. K., Wu, C., & Lam, P. K. (2021). Understanding plastic degradation and microplastic formation in the environment: A review. Environmental Pollution, 274, 116554.
Mao, X., Xu, Y., Cheng, Z., Yang, Y., Guan, Z., Jiang, L., & Tang, K. (2022). The impact of microplastic pollution on ecological environment: a review. Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark, 27(2), 46.
Lu, L., Luo, T., Zhao, Y., Cai, C., Fu, Z., & Jin, Y. (2019). Interaction between microplastics and microorganism as well as gut microbiota: A consideration on environmental animal and human health. Science of the Total Environment, 667, 94-100.
SCMP. (2022). Hong Kong sends 400 million disposable coffee cups to landfills every year, according to green group. Young Post. https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/environment/article/3185779/hong-kong-sends-400-million-disposable-coffee-cups