Le polystyrène à l’épreuve des enzymes : vers un surcyclage durable

Polystyrene challenged by enzymes: towards sustainable upcycling. Synthetic polymers pose a major ecological concern due to the lack of efficient and sustainable recycling solutions. Although biocatalysis has recently emerged as promising for certain plastics, vinyl polymers such as polystyrene remain highly resistant to enzymatic degradation. We developed a dual strategy combining the dispersion of polystyrene into nanoparticles in water with the use of a high-redox-potential laccase-mediator system. This approach enabled up to 99% molar mass reduction and produced small amounts of benzoic acid, benzaldehyde and acetophenone.