RESEARCH BRIEFINGS

21 October 2026

Embedding enzymes that break down ester bonds into compostable polyesters enables rapid and complete biodegradation even in microbe-scarce environments. This method is effective in marine sites ranging from coastal sea water to the deep sea, and could therefore contribute towards solving the global plastic pollution problem.

This is a summary of: Huang, Q. et al . Enzyme-embedded polyesters for accelerated biodegradation in the deep sea. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11192-1 (2026) .

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03282-x

‘Expert opinion’ and the figure are published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

References

Omura, T. et al. Nature Commun. 15 , 568 (2024).

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International Organization for Standardization. ISO 14855-1:2012. Determination of the Ultimate Aerobic Biodegradability of Plastic Materials under Controlled Composting Conditions — Method by Analysis of Evolved Carbon Dioxide.…