Biodegradation of plastics

Plastika, oziroma sintetični polimeri, v današnjem svetu predstavljajo enega izmed najbolj razširjenih materialov, po drugi strani pa enega izmed najhitreje rastočih problemov na Zemlji. Zaradi izredno široke uporabe predstavlja velik delež odpadkov na zemlji. Plastični odpadki so praktično inertni in se kopičijo v vedno večjih količinah. Plastični polimeri kažejo strukturne podobnosti z marsikaterimi naravnimi substrati, ki predstavljajo vir hranil za različne organizme. Organizmi, ki se hranijo na podobnih substratih imajo posledično ustrezne encime za razgradnjo teh naravnih polimerov. Prav na te encime in organizme lahko računamo, ko iščemo ustrezne organizme, ki bi bili sposobni razgrajevati plastične polimere. Bolj kot je primarni substrat podoben nekemu tipu plastike, bolj bo razgradnja uspešna. Vendar vse ni tako preprosto, saj plastika in njej dodani aditivi predstavljajo za organizem toksičen substrat, hidrofobna površina še dodatno ovira pritrditev mikro-organizmov na površino. Tako bomo v prihodnosti skušali najti uspešno kombinacijo fizikalnih dejavnikov (oz. načinov predobdelave) in bioloških sistemov, ki bodo skupaj uspešno premostili vse ovire, ki jih predstavlja prehranjevanje s plastiko kot primarnim substratom. Cilj v prihodnosti je preprečiti akumulacijo plastičnih polimerov v okolju in jih ponovno vrniti v kroženje snovi v naravi.Synthetic polymers, also known as plastic, are one of the most widespread materials in the world today and on the other hand, one of the fastest growing problems on Earth. Due to their extremely wide use, they represent a large proportion of waste on earth. Plastic waste is practically inert and accumulates in ever-increasing quantities. Plastic polymers show structural similarities with many natural substrates, which are a source of nutrients for various organisms. Organisms that feed on similar substrates consequently have the appropriate enzymes to degrade these natural polymers. It is these enzymes and organisms that we can count on when looking for suitable organisms that would be able to degrade plastic polymers. The more the primary substrate is similar to some type of plastic, the more successful the decomposition will be. However, this is not as simple as it sounds, because not only do plastic and its added additives represent a toxic substrate for the organism, but the hydrophobic surface further hinders the attachment of micro-organisms to the surface. Thus, in the future we will try to find a successful combination of physical factors (or methods of pre-treatment) and biological systems, which will together successfully overcome all the obstacles posed by eating plastic as the primary substrate. The goal in the future is to prevent the accumulation of plastic polymers in the environment and return them to the circulation of substances in nature