Flame-Retarded and Heat-Resistant PP Compounds for Halogen-Free Low-Smoke Cable Protection Pipes (HFLS Conduits).

Conduits are plastic tubes extensively used to safeguard electrical cables, traditionally made from PVC. Recent safety guidelines seek alternatives due to PVC's emission of thick smoke and toxic gases upon fire incidents. Polypropylene (PP) is emerging as a viable alternative but requires modification with suitable halogen-free additives to attain flame retardancy (FR) while maintaining high mechanical strength and weathering resistance, especially for outdoor applications.

Laccase-Mediated Oxidation of Phenolic Compounds from Wine Lees Extract towards the Synthesis of Polymers with Potential Applications in Food Packaging.

Laccase from was applied to produce phenolic polymeric compounds with enhanced properties, using a wine lees extract as the phenolic source. The influence of the incubation time on the progress of the enzymatic oxidation and the yield of the formed polymers was examined. The polymerization process and the properties of the polymeric products were evaluated with a variety of techniques, such as high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

Discovery of a polyesterase from Deinococcus maricopensis and comparison to the benchmark LCC suggests high potential for semi-crystalline post-consumer PET degradation.

Plastic pollution remains a significant environmental challenge, with conventional waste management strategies proving insufficient in addressing the problem. Enzymatic degradation has emerged as a promising alternative, with LCC, an engineered metagenome-derived cutinase, being the most effective in degrading polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most commonly produced and discarded polyester. However, more efficient PET-hydrolases are needed for the upscaling of a PET-waste biorefinery.

A polyesterase from the Antarctic bacterium Moraxella sp. degrades highly crystalline synthetic polymers.

The uncontrolled release of plastics in the environment has rendered them ubiquitous around the planet, threatening the wildlife and human health. Biodegradation and valorization of plastics has emerged as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional management techniques. Discovery of novel polymer-degrading enzymes with diversified properties is hence an important task in order to explore different operational conditions for plastic-waste upcycling.