Poly(acrylic acid)-based superabsorbent polymer (SAP) in a feed stream is converted into poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in an extensional flow device. The total energy used to degrade the SAP into PAA is less than about 50 MJ/kg SAP.

The present invention relates to an enzymatic process for depolymerization of post-consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) by a glycolysis reaction. This invention also relates to a process for recycling post-consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) and to the recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) obtained by said process.

Preparing a microbially desulfurized crumb rubber includes combining microorganisms capable of breaking crosslinked sulfur bonds, sulfur-containing crumb rubber, and a salt solution to yield a mixture; combining a buffer with the mixture to yield a buffered mixture, thereby adjusting a pH of the mixture; providing oxygen to the buffered mixture; incubating the buffered mixture for a length of time to yield a microbially desulfurized mixture; combining the microbially desulfurized mixture with bitumen to yield a precursor; and heating the precursor to yield the microbially desulfurized crumb rubber. The microbially desulfurized crumb rubber can be combined with bitumen to yield a modified bitumen. The modified bitumen can be combined with asphalt to yield a modified asphalt.

The present invention relates to novel proteases, more particularly to protease variants having improved activity compared to the protease of SEQ ID N° 1 and the uses thereof for degrading polyester containing material, such as plastic products. The proteases of the invention are particularly suited to degrade polylactic acid, and material containing polylactic acid.

Compositions and methods for reducing pollution from postconsumer wastes derived from a polymeric material are disclosed. The methods involve depolymerizing the polymeric material and optionally bioconverting the depolymerized polymeric material, the product of which can be used as feedstocks for other bioconversion processes to make biochemicals and other value-added biological products. In some embodiments, the depolymerized polymeric materials can be used to make a culture medium. The culture media are suitable for producing a bioproduct from microorganisms including bacterium, alga, and fungus or an enzyme.

Described herein are methods and compositions for degrading a polymer. For example, methods can include comprising contacting a polymer with one or more polymer-degrading fungal species, wherein the polymer comprises a polyester graft, and wherein the polymer is a polymerization product of at least a monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylates, methacrylates, and combinations thereof.

The present invention includes methods for preparing anticoagulant polysaccharides using several non-naturally occurring, engineered sulfotransferase enzymes that are designed to react with aryl sulfate compounds instead of the natural substrate, PAPS, to facilitate sulfo group transfer to polysaccharide sulfo group acceptors. Suitable aryl sulfate compounds include, but are not limited to, p-nitrophenyl sulfate or 4-nitrocatechol sulfate. Anticoagulant polysaccharides produced by methods of the present invention comprise N-, 3-O-, 6-O-sulfated glucosamine residues and 2-O sulfated hexuronic acid residues, have comparable anticoagulant activity compared to commercially-available anticoagulant polysaccharides, and can be utilized to form truncated anticoagulant polysaccharides having a reduced molecular weight.

The present invention relates to a process for producing terephthalic acid on an industrial or semi-industrial scale by enzymatic means from a polyester of interest.

A complex non-naturally occurring phenolic compounds mixtures or engineered phenolic compounds compositions, from catalytic degradation of lignocellulose, and the use thereof.

A process for enhancing biodegradability of polyolefinic materials is provided. The process includes providing a polyolefinic material, mixing the polyolefinic material with at least one fatty reagent, heating up the polyolefinic material mixed with the at least one fatty reagent to the melting temperature of the polyolefinic material to obtain a melted material, letting the melted material cool at room temperature for a time sufficient to obtain a solidified product, and incubating the solidified product with at least one fungal mycelium selected from fungal strains secreting Unspecific Peroxygenases (UPO), in presence of a fungal culture medium.