Enzyme-embedded polyesters for accelerated biodegradation in the deep sea.

Enzyme-embedded polyesters achieve near-complete degradation at 757 m depth within 5 months in the deep sea.

• Why it matters: Marine plastic pollution is a significant environmental problem, especially in deep-sea environments where current biodegradable plastics degrade poorly.
• What they did: Researchers thermally embedded enzymes into compostable polyesters (PBS, PBSA, PCL, PBAT) and tested their degradation in coastal and deep-sea conditions from 2-6 m to 5,503 m depth, observing rapid and moderate biodegradation.
• The result: The enzyme-embedded polyesters maintained mechanical properties similar to non-embedded versions, produced low-molecular-mass degradation products, and support mineralization, offering a promising approach to mitigate marine plastic pollution.