Plastics biodegradation and recycling - the introduction of China-Europe cooperation project "Synthetic microorganism communities for plastic degradation and transformation"

Abstract

The China-European environmental biotechnology cooperation research project on the biodegradation of waste plastics is jointly funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the European Commission (EC), and aims to encourage Chinese and European scientists to carry out substantive research in the field of "Microorganism communities for plastics biodegradation". The goal of the project is to use the metabolic capacity of microbial communities to degrade petrochemical plastics that are easy to cause environmental pollution into monomers and small molecules, thereby realizing the biosynthesis of high-value biochemicals by microorganisms. This can not only solve the problem of plastic pollution, but also "turn waste into treasure" and create higher economic benefits. The China-European cooperative research project will promote in-depth cooperation between scientists from both sides in the field of synthetic biology, and help the two sides establish long-term and stable international exchanges and cooperation. Both China and the EU will work to solve the global plastic pollution problem, form a strategic force of science and technology, and jointly open a new chapter in the field of resource utilization of non-degradable plastics.