Science by the Slice: Engineering bacteria to eat plastics

Engineering bacteria to eat plastics

with Dr. Nathan Crook from NC State University

Abstract: Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a plastic material that is ubiquitous in manufactured products, including packaging and textiles. Like other plastics, PET resists natural degradation and therefore accumulates in the natural environment. Several recycling strategies have been applied to manage waste PET, but these tend to result in downcycled products that eventually end up in landfills. This accumulation of landfilled PET waste contributes to the formation of microplastics by being broken down into small pieces that pose a serious threat to marine life and ecosystems, and potentially to human health. To address this issue, we have developed a whole-cell biocatalyst capable of degrading and assimilating waste PET in seawater environments. Specifically, we focus on using the fast-growing, nonpathogenic bacterium Vibrio natriegens to construct this biocatalyst. This talk will describe how we engineered this strain to depolymerize PET and use the depolymerization products to provide energy to the engineered bacterium, allowing it to replicate as it further degrades PET. We hope that this work provides a possible route to convert waste PET plastic into biomass, as well as a platform by which novel PET-degrading enzymes can be more quickly discovered.

About Dr. Crook: 

Dr. Nathan Crook is an assistant professor in NCSU’s Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2009, and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, studying under Dr. Hal Alper. He pursued postdoctoral studies in Pathology and Immunology at Washington University in Saint Louis School Medicine from 2014-2017 in the lab of Dr. Gautam Dantas. Dr. Crook joined the department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NCSU in January 2018, and his lab focuses on how to engineer microbes and microbial communities. He received an NSF CAREER award and NIH New Innovator Award in 2023, and mentors 10 amazing graduate students and 3 amazing postdocs.

Virtual attendees:

Use the following URL to join Science by the Slice live on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SigmaXi/

We will also provide a zoom link to view the event to registered attendees.

Please RSVP only once. RSVP to either join in person or virtually.

We hope you'll join us remotely or in person for a great hour of science!