US EditionHow a Novel Reaction in E. Coli Helps Recycle Plastic Into Paracetamol
- On June 23, 2025, a team of scientists from Edinburgh and AstraZeneca published research in Nature Chemistry showing that E. coli bacteria can transform PET plastic waste into the pain reliever paracetamol.
- The researchers harnessed a chemical process first identified in the 19th century, known as the Lossen rearrangement, to enable bacteria to convert molecules derived from plastic into acetaminophen under natural physiological conditions.
- This microbial method runs at room temperature, produces almost no carbon emissions, and harnesses a novel hybrid of synthetic chemistry and microbial metabolism to upcycle plastic pollution.
- The process achieved conversion efficiencies of up to 92%, and the researchers noted it could reduce drug manufacturing's reliance on fossil fuels and lower environmental impact significantly.
- Though currently a proof-of-concept requiring further scaling, this approach suggests a promising path to sustainable pharmaceutical production and plastic waste repurposing.
36 Articles
36 Articles
The recycling science has reached a remarkable framework: the ability to transform plastic waste into paracetamol. This discovery addresses the growing problem of this type of waste and opens new ways for sustainable production...
How a novel reaction in E. coli helps recycle plastic into paracetamol
Researchers have demonstrated that E. coli can perform a biocompatible Lossen rearrangement, enabling phosphate-catalysed conversion of synthetic substrates into valuable compounds. This approach allows engineered bacteria to upcycle PET plastic waste into paracetamol, highlighting a novel intersection of chemistry and biotechnology.
The principles of this research that used strains of Escherichia Coli opens the door to organic drug production
The painkiller paracetamol is probably in every drawer. Now it has succeeded in producing the drug from plastic waste. With the help of bacteria.
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