Synthesis of Modified Poly(vinyl Alcohol)s and Their Degradation Using an Enzymatic Cascade

Abstract

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a water-soluble synthetic vinyl polymer with remarkable physical properties including thermostability and viscosity. Its biodegradability, however, is low even though a large amount of PVA is released into the environment. Established physical-chemical degradation methods for PVA have several disadvantages such as high price, low efficiency, and secondary pollution. Biodegradation of PVA by microorganisms is slow and frequently involves pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-dependent enzymes, making it expensive due to the costly cofactor and hence unattractive for industrial applications. In this study, we present a modified PVA film with improved properties as well as a PQQ-independent novel enzymatic cascade for the degradation of modified and unmodified PVA. The cascade consists of four steps catalyzed by three enzymes with in situ cofactor recycling technology making this cascade suitable for industrial applications.

Bottlenecks in biobased approaches to plastic degradation

“…The methods for PA biodegradation are currently limited by low activity, however the fastgrowing bank of knowledge about engineering enzymes and microbes for other plastics can be utilized to find solutions to this problem. One example is the cascade of enzymes currently being explored for the depolymerization of another fossil fuel-derived plastic, polyvinyl alcohols (PVA) 78 .…”

Designing biodegradable alternatives to commodity polymers

“…143 PVA is biodegradable under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, 144 but the process may be slow, relying upon pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) dependent enzymes and hence availability of this cofactor. 145 von Haugwitz et al 146 have reported a PQQ-independent enzymatic cascade reaction using commercially-available enzymes which can partially biodegrade PVA, presenting scope to incorporate the process into wastewater treatment.…”