Fig. 1: Schematic illustrations of the chemoenzymatic cascade depolymerization of plastic.
For the chemical part, the plastic polymers will undergo a series of pretreatments such as hydrolysis or oxidation, producing structurally modified polymers or low Mw oligomers/monomers; for the enzymatic part, these intermediates will be further converted (e.g., hydrolyzed) into final monomers or added-value molecules in a higher yield compared to that of single enzymatic depolymerization, which might not even be working for some types of plastic (dotted line). Overall, the chemoenzymatic cascade process can accelerate plastic depolymerization, offering a more sustainable approach for plastic waste management.
