Micah Jemimah Calahat

Plastics are considered a headache to the world’s piling environmental problems — but scientists carry a plot twist proving there is still purpose beyond waste.


Not from plants or chemicals, but from plastic. A team of international researchers used a genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteria to convert broken-down plastics into the active ingredient in pain medicines like Tylenol and Panadol. 

The study, published in Nature Chemistry on June 23, noted the breakthrough sets game-changing grounds in reducing plastic pollution and recent reliance on fossil fuels in creating widespread medication.

Stephen Wallace, an engineering biologist at the University of Edinburgh wrote, “... this marks as an exciting starting point for plastic waste upcycling.”

Trash transformed

They first tested if the bacteria could produce a key ingredient called para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) through a Lossen rearrangement chemical reaction, which changes the shape of a nitrogen-containing molecule. 

The same compound with a now modified E.coli that alters the normal process of creating PABA is made by breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) — a plastic found in bottles. 

According to Wallace, they proved the reaction worked.

The compound was able to turn into acetaminophen, or paracetamol with a few added genetic instructions, converting 92 percent of the plastic within 48 hours.

Hitting two birds with one stone

Furthermore, fossil fuels have been frequently used in creating medications, especially paracetamol, which poses grave risks to the environment. 

It damages ecosystems, causes pollution, and releases greenhouse gases more than usual. On top of that, the process also generates hazardous waste.

Likewise, plastic itself has long presented itself as a menace that has jeopardized human health, wildlife, and the environment. 

In fact, the United Nations Environment Programme tallies 19 to 23 tonnes of plastic waste leaking into aquatic resources every year. 

Moreover, plastic decomposition times vary widely, ranging from 20 to 500 years depending on the type of plastic used. 

The study turns the table for this matter — if it is hard to eliminate, then why not innovate ways to repurpose it?

“What should be done at this point in time is to secure one or more types of microorganisms to perform every step of the transformation,” says Venkatesh Balan, a biotechnologist at the University of Houston.

However, scaling the process used to break down the plastic bottle to industrial proportions would be challenging since they are too energy-intensive, costly, and complex, says Dylan Domaille, a chemist at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden who was not involved in the new study. 

“But demonstrating the idea of turning plastic waste into something of value could motivate efforts to make this feat more sustainable and scalable,” Wallace said.

In the pursuit to pill it up, the study serves as a step to ensure we don't pollute it down. Transforming what once was a problem into a sustainable solution is only the beginning of finding purpose beyond waste.