Paracetamol, which is one of the most commonly used drugs worldwide, is made from the derivatives of fossil fuels, often by Asia-based subcontractors using cheap, polluting methods that contribute to climate change.
The British team of researchers behind the new study sought to find a solution to the two problems by roping in a third -- E.coli, which is normally known for making people sick when they eat contaminated food.
This created a molecule they called PABA, according to the Nature Chemistry study, which was partly funded by drug firm AstraZeneca.
“This work demonstrates that PET plastic isn’t just waste or a material destined to become more plastic -- it can be transformed by microorganisms into valuable new products, including those with potential for treating disease,“ lead study Stephen Wallace said in a statement.
But “several practical considerations remain” to take this idea beyond the proof-of-concept stage, they wrote in a linked commentary in the journal Nature Chemistry.
Melissa Valliant, communications director of the Beyond Plastics project of Bennington College in the United States, expressed scepticism.
“These discoveries never scale up to anything significant enough to tackle the massive plastic pollution problem.”
This “crisis needs to be stopped at the source,“ she added, which means “companies and policymakers must reduce the amount of plastic being produced and used in the first place”.
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