Getting Proactive with Pharma Packaging

According to market research, the pharmaceutical packaging sector is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.4% between 2022 and 2031, reaching an estimated USS178.8 billion (€171.8 billion) by the end of the forecast period (1). "Pharmaceutical waste continues to be a huge problem, so to eliminate non-biodegradable and single-use plastics from the supply chain, more research is taking place around bio-based PET [polyethylene terephthalate]. "By designing a product's primary and secondary packaging well from the outset (including investing ample resources into the process), manufacturers can reduce the amount of materials used and wasted, test new eco materials, ensure safety compliance and efficacy, and benefit from cheaper transportation costs," Quelch surmises. [...]pharma companies can benefit from a packaging supplier with a true global footprint," he says.

Biological Treatment of Triclosan using a Novel Strain of Enterobacter cloacae and Introducing Naphthalene Dioxygenase as an Effective Enzyme

In recent years, triclosan (TCS) has been widely used as an antibacterial agent in personal care products due to the spread of the Coronavirus. TSC is an emerging contaminant, and due to its stability and toxicity, it cannot be completely degraded through traditional wastewater treatment methods. In this study, a novel strain of Enterobacter cloacae was isolated and identified that can grow in high TCS concentrations. Also, we introduced naphthalene dioxygenase as an effective enzyme in TCS biodegradation, and its role during the removal process was investigated along with the laccase enzyme. The change of cell surface hydrophobicity during TCS removal revealed that a glycolipid biosurfactant called rhamnolipid was involved in TCS removal, leading to enhanced biodegradation of TCS. The independent variables, such as initial TCS concentration, pH, removal duration, and temperature, were optimized using the response surface method (RSM). As a result, the maximum TCS removal (97%) was detected at a pH value of 7 and a temperature of 32 °C after 9 days and 12h of treatment. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis showed five intermediate products and a newly proposed pathway for TCS degradation. Finally, the phytotoxicity experiment conducted on Cucumis sativus and Lens culinaris seeds demonstrated an increase in germination power and growth of stems and roots in comparison to untreated water. These results indicate that the final treated water was less toxic.

Editorial Introduction

1. Overview of 2nd International Conference on Science in Engineering and Technology - 22nd Sustainable Environment and Architecture (ICoSiET SENVAR 2022)The covid-19 pandemic caused a great shock to people around the world, for it caused a massive scale lockdown in the 21st century. It took millions of lives, affected people's health [1], and created enormous disruption in education systems in more than 200 countries [2]. Furthermore, Covid-19 also account for unprecedented damage to the global economy[3][4], separating people from their loved ones and friends and transforming our built environment in fear of infection[5]. The use of spaces in our living environment then changes dramatically. The lesson should be drawn from this pandemic, for it can never be predicted when the next one will arrive [6]. A future design of the built environment shall be arranged comprehensively. Not only do we have to consider the socio-economic and sustainable living environment, but also how to create a resilient and healthy built environment. Thus, the impact of the pandemic can be minimised through planning, design, structural, physical and technological means.On the other hand, the pandemic introduces a hybrid life to us where a virtual world has become a necessity. Tantalising global challenges in our degradation environment with energy and natural resources depletion force us to have an energy-conscious awareness while providing a safe, healthy, smart and sustainable living environment. The design of the built environment thus should elaborate the virtual world and reality, which involves advanced and robust information and technology not only for the present situation but also for visionary looking to future needs. Therefore, we promote "the Green-Smart Design and Technology for the Present and the Future Built Environment” as the theme for the 2nd International Conference on Science in Engineering and Technology – 22nd Sustainable Environment and Architecture (ICoSiET SENVAR 2022).The ICoSiET SENVAR 2022 is a joint conference to bridge the role of architecture, engineering, and multi-disciplinary field stakeholders in sharing their precious ideas, theories, concepts, designs, research and experiences in creating a better world for all. This conference is hosted by the Architecture Department of Engineering Faculty, Tadulako University. ICoSiET was first organised in 2020 in Palu, Indonesia and then became a biannual conference to provide an academic forum, especially in engineering.Meanwhile, SENVAR is an annual gathering for scientists, scholars, and architects focusing on discussions related to the natural and built environment, such as building design and architecture, outdoor and indoor comfort, local and global green, urban planning and sustainability. SENVAR was first initiated and started by the late Professor Mas Santosa from the Department of Architecture, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) in 2000 as a seminar on environmental architecture;in 2011, it changed the name to Sustainable Environment and Architecture [7]. This year we have the privilege to host ICoSiET and SENVAR and combine them into ICoSiET SENVAR 2022, putting two communities in one frame to be blended in the most recent issue of the smart and sustainable built environment.

Global plastic upcycling during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: The status and perspective.

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues worldwide since the vast majority of post-consumer plastics are hard to degrade in the environment. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic had disrupted the previous effort of plastic pollution mitigation to a great extent due to the overflow of plastic-based medical waste. In the post-pandemic era, the remaining challenge is how to motivate global action towards a plastic circular economy. The need for one package of sustainable and systematic plastic upcycling approaches has never been greater to address such a challenge. In this review, we summarized the threat of plastic pollution during COVID-19 to public health and ecosystem. In order to solve the aforementioned challenges, we present a shifting concept, regeneration value from plastic waste, that provides four promising pathways to achieve a sustainable circular economy: 1) Increasing reusability and biodegradability of plastics; 2) Transforming plastic waste into high-value products by chemical approaches; 3) The closed-loop recycling can be promoted by biodegradation; 4) Involving renewable energy into plastic upcycling. Additionally, the joint efforts from different social perspectives are also encouraged to create the necessary economic and environmental impetus for a circular economy.

Bioplastics in Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to protect human beings from different external agents, such as microorganisms, corrosive chemicals, and environmental factors that can cause damage to health and body. PPE includes a wide variety of articles, among which the face masks and gloves (made mainly based on synthetic polymers) stand out. Their use goes beyond the medical or chemical sector, as they are also used for different daily activities. Currently, the use of PPE has become increasingly common due to factors, such as high concentrations of greenhouse gases in the air or diseases, such as COVID-19;this has caused an increase in the production of these articles and, in some cases, its inadequate final disposition. These circumstances have led to the search for different alternatives that reduce the number of environmental impacts that PPE causes. These options include biodegradable plastics and bioplastics, whose formulas include renewable or nonrenewable biodegradable raw materials. This chapter presents the description of biodegradable plastics and bioplastics that are currently used in the manufacture of PPE, the properties of these materials and their efficiency in terms of protection against harmful external agents. © 2022 Scrivener Publishing LLC.

Biodegradation of COVID19 antibiotic; azithromycin and its impact on soil microbial community in the presence of phenolic waste and with temperature variation.

The increase in using antibiotics, especially Azithromycin have increased steadily since the beginning of COVID19 pandemic. This increase has led to its presence in water systems which consequently led to its presence upon using this water for irrigation. The aim of the present work is to study the impact of irrigation using Azithromycin containing water on soil microbial community and its catabolic activity in the presence of phenolic wastes as compost. Wild berry, red grapes, pomegranate, and spent tea waste were added to soil and the degradation was monitored after 5 and 7 days at ambient and high temperatures. The results obtained show that at 30 °C, soil microbial community collectively was able to degrade Azithromycin, while at 40 °C, addition of spent tea as compost was needed to reach higher degradation. To ensure that the degradation was biotic and depended on degradation by indigenous microflora, a 25 kGy irradiation dose was used to kill the microorganisms in the soil and this was used as negative control. The residual antibiotic was assayed using UV spectroscopy and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Indication of Azithromycin presence was studied using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) peaks and the same pattern was obtained using the 3 used detection methods, the ability to assign the peaks even in the presence of soil and not to have any overlaps, gives the chance to study this result in depth to prepare IR based sensor for quick sensing of antibiotic in environmental samples.

Development of Polymeric Binder from Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Foam Waste as Construction Materials

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam wastes become a huge environmental issue as most of them are non-biodegradable materials and are disposed of inappropriately. It was reported that the amount of plastic and foam wastes for food containers and other packagings was evidently increased during the past 5 years, especially since the COVID19 pandemic. This work studied the development of the polymeric foam binder from the EPS foam waste for the production of green construction blocks or pavement tiles. The types of solvent (acetone and toluene) and the amount of additional EPS foam binder were investigated. The results show that the appropriate mixtures contained EPS foam binder from 15% to 30% to achieve maximum compressive strength at approximately 10 to 12 MPa with the optimal unit weight of 1,600 to 1,900 kg/m3. Those outcomes have equally passed the strength class of Thai Industrial Standard (TIS 57 and 77) for construction brick and block. This eco-friendly technique could facilitate value-added production and reduce the environmental impact of EPS wastes disposal. Moreover, it is one of the alternative approaches to promote greener and cleaner production for environmentally friendly construction materials.

Heimtextil 2023: trends, developments and innovations in home textiles

The 2023 edition of Heimtextil—the world's largest international trade fair for home and contract textiles—was held at the Messe Frankfurt Exhibition Center in Frankfurt, Germany, during January 10-13, 2023. There was a noticeable buzz at the fair, even though economic and political uncertainties continued to affect the textile industry. In particular, businesses were faced with ongoing challenges as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. A key attraction for visitors attending the fair was the Trend Space—an immersive exhibition area which was dedicated to the presentation of design trends in architecture, art, fashion, furniture, interior design and textiles. The overall design theme for the Trend Space was Textiles Matter, which was chosen to encourage visitors to focus on the full life cycle of textiles, starting from the cultivation or manufacture of fibres and continuing through to a product's afterlife. The theme is based on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's principles of a circular economy which outlines two significant material cycles involved in circularity. One of the two cycles is the biological cycle, whereby organic materials are kept in a continuous loop—ie returned to earth—using processes such as composting and biodegradation. The other cycle is the technical cycle, whereby inorganic materials are kept in a continuous loop using processes such as reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycling. The theme was presented as a collection of four trends. Two of the trends were inspired by the biological cycle and were named From Earth and Nature Engineered. The other two trends were inspired by the technical cycle and were named Make and Remake, and Continuous. © Textiles Intelligence Limited 2023.

Environmental and Human Health Impact of Disposable Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Wood-Feeding Termites as a Model for Plastic Biodegradation.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented form of plastic pollution: personal protective equipment (PPE). On the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a tremendous increase in the production of plastic-based PPE. To control the spread of the virus, face masks (FMs) are used as primary PPE. Thus, the production and usage of FM significantly increased as the COVID-19 pandemic was still escalating. The primary raw materials for the manufacturing of FMs are non-biodegradable synthetic polymers derived from petrochemicals. This calls for an urgent need to develop novel strategies for the efficient degradation of plastics. Furthermore, most of these masks contain plastic or other derivatives of plastic. The extensive usage of FM generates millions of tons of plastic waste for the environment in a short span of time. However, their degradation in the environment and consequences are poorly understood. Therefore, the potential impacts of disposable FM on the environment and human health during the COVID-19 pandemic are clarified in the present study. Despite structural and recalcitrance variations, lignocellulose and plastic polymers have physicochemical features, including carbon skeletons with comparable chemical bonds as well as hydrophobic properties in amorphous and crystalline regions. In this review, we argue that there is much to be learned from termites by transferring knowledge from research on lignocellulose degradation by termites to that on plastic waste.

Surgical staples: Current state-of-the-art and future prospective

Wound closing is one of the widely performed and prominent clinical practices in the surgical intervention process. A physician or surgeon has several options ranging from surgical sutures and adhesive strips to fibrin glue for effective wound closure to close the commonly occurring surgical cuts and deep skin tissue injuries. However, all the commercially available wound closure devices have some limitations in each and another perspective. From the beginning of the late 90s, surgical staples got tremendous attention as efficient wound closure devices for their time-effective and sufficient mechanical strength, performance feasibility, fewer chances of surgical site infection and require minimal expertise characteristics in consideration of remote location. Even in the context of the recent COVID19 pandemic, the clinical acceptance and patient compliance for the staples have increased due to minimizing the chances of prolonged interaction between the patient and physicians. The surgical staples application is extensive and diversified, ranging from common external cuts to highly complex surgery procedures like laparoscopic appendectomy, intestinal anastomosis, etc. Thus, in this literature review, we try to give a comprehensive glimpse of the development and current state-of-the-art surgical staples in consideration with research from a commercial point of view. On a special note, this review also describes a very brief outline of the regulatory aspects and some common internationally acceptable 'de jure standards for the development of commercially viable surgical staples. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s)

Current knowledge on the presence, biodegradation, and toxicity of discarded face masks in the environment.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, facemasks became mandatory, with a great preference for disposable ones. However, the benefits of face masks for health safety are counteracted by the environmental burden related to their improper disposal. An unprecedented influx of disposable face masks entering the environment has been reported in the last two years of the pandemic, along with their implications in natural environments in terms of their biodegradability, released contaminants and ecotoxicological effects. This critical review addresses several aspects of the current literature regarding the (bio)degradation and (eco)toxicity of face masks related contaminants, identifying uncertainties and research needs that should be addressed in future studies. While it is indisputable that face mask contamination contributes to the already alarming plastic pollution, we are still far from determining its real environmental and ecotoxicological contribution to the issue. The paucity of studies on biodegradation and ecotoxicity of face masks and related contaminants, and the uncertainties and uncontrolled variables involved during experimental procedures, are compromising eventual comparison with conventional plastic debris. Studies on the abundance and composition of face mask-released contaminants (microplastics/fibres/ chemical compounds) under pre- and post-pandemic conditions should, therefore, be encouraged, along with (bio)degradation and ecotoxicity tests considering environmentally relevant settings. To achieve this, methodological strategies should be developed to overcome technical difficulties to quantify and characterise the smallest MPs and fibres, adsorbents, and leachates to increase the environmental relevancy of the experimental conditions.

Unstructured kinetic models with time-averaged growth approach in the biodegradation of triclosan by activated sludge culture

The concentration of triclosan in wastewater is expected to rise dramatically as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. A modeling analysis of the growth kinetics of microbial culture during triclosan degradation was necessary in order to establish effective wastewater treatment. The kinetic parameters are used by engineers to aid in the design and process control of biological processes. Studies were conducted using triclosan-acclimated culture to examine biomass growth and associated substrate degradation at different initial substrate concentrations (0.35–4.9 mg L−1) to this end. Substrate inhibition was calculated from experimental growth parameters using unstructured kinetic models. Unlike other model studies, a time-averaged specific bacterial growth rate in the log phase was considered for kinetic models in this study. Overestimation of the conventional log phase calculation for unstructured kinetic model constants was eliminated when the slowdown growth part of the log growth phase was taken into account. The Haldane Model was more accurate to fitting experimental data in an excellent manner. In this case, the time-averaged specific growth rate, saturation constant, and inhibition constant were 0.56 h−1, 12.77 mg L−1, 0.52 mg L−1, respectively. A yield coefficient of 0.404 mgX.mgS−1 was calculated. The critical triclosan concentration was 2.57 mg L−1. Wastewater treatment plants can be more sensitive to the value of the critical triclosan concentration. The value for time-averaged critical specific growth rate was 0.051 h−1. Pre-or post-treatment requirements can be estimated using time-averaged critical growth rate values as a benchmarking tool in biological treatment systems.

Can wood-feeding termites solve the environmental bottleneck caused by plastics? A critical state-of-the-art review

The abundance of synthetic polymers has become an ever-increasing environmental threat in the world. The excessive utilization of plastics leads to the accumulation of such recalcitrant pollutants in the environment. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, face masks, and gloves made up of single-use items has resulted in the massive generation of plastic biomedical waste. As secondary pollutants, microplastic particles (<5 mm) are derived from pellet loss and degradation of macroplastics. Therefore, urgent intervention is required for the management of these hazardous materials. Physicochemical approaches have been employed to degrade synthetic polymers, but these approaches have limited efficiency and cause the release of hazardous metabolites or by-products into the environment. Therefore, bioremediation is a proper option as it is both cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. On the other hand, plants evolved lignocellulose to be resistant to destruction, whereas insects, such as wood-feeding termites, possess diverse microorganisms in their guts, which confer physiological and ecological benefits to their host. Plastic and lignocellulose polymers share a number of physical and chemical properties, despite their structural and recalcitrance differences. Among these similarities are a hydrophobic nature, a carbon skeleton, and amorphous/crystalline regions. Compared with herbivorous mammals, lignocellulose digestion in termites is accomplished at ordinary temperatures. This unique characteristic has been of great interest for the development of a plastic biodegradation approach by termites and their gut symbionts. Therefore, transferring knowledge from research on lignocellulosic degradation by termites and their gut symbionts to that on synthetic polymers has become a new research hotspot and technological development direction to solve the environmental bottleneck caused by synthetic plastic polymers.

Biocatalyst developed with recovered iron-rich minerals enhances the biotransformation of SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drugs in anaerobic bioreactors.

The biotransformation of the SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drugs, ribavirin and tenofovir, was studied in methanogenic bioreactors. The role of iron-rich minerals, recovered from a metallurgic effluent, on the biotransformation process was also assessed. Enrichment of anaerobic sludge with recovered minerals promoted superior removal efficiency for both antivirals (97.4 % and 94.7 % for ribavirin and tenofovir, respectively) as compared to the control bioreactor lacking minerals, which achieved 58.5 % and 37.9 % removal for the same drugs, respectively. Further analysis conducted by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy revealed several metabolites derived from the biotransformation of both antivirals. Interestingly, tracer analysis with 13CH4 revealed that anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to Fe(III) reduction occurred in the enriched bioreactor, which was reflected in a lower content of methane in the biogas produced from this system, as compared to the control bioreactor. This treatment proposal is suitable within the circular economy concept, in which recovered metals from an industrial wastewater are applied in bioreactors to create a biocatalyst for promoting the biotransformation of emerging pollutants. This strategy may be appropriate for the anaerobic treatment of wastewaters originated from hospitals, as well as from the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors.

RESÍDUOS PLÁSTICOS E SUSTENTABILIDADE: REFLEXOS E IMPACTOS DA PANDEMIA DE COVID-19 NO CONTEXTO SOCIOCULTURAL E AMBIENTAL

Objetivo: O artigo buscou analisar os impactos e reflexos da pandemia de COVID-19 na gestão dos resíduos plásticos. Referencial teórico: A preocupação com a COVID-19 resultou em diversas medidas protetivas, como a determinação do uso de EPIs e restrições de circulação nos centros urbanos. Essas mudanças também impactaram padrões de geração e gestão de resíduos sólidos, especialmente de resíduos plásticos, cujos reflexos negativos nos aspectos socioambientais podem emergir, dado seu descarte inadequado. Método: Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de literatura, nas bases de dados Scopus, Sage e Web of Science, com utilização do Methodi Ordinatio. Ao total, 22 estudos foram selecionados, compondo o portfólio de pesquisa. Resultados e conclusão: Os resultados demonstraram uma maior concentração de estudos que relacionam os resíduos plásticos nas regiões costeiras, especialmente provenientes de EPIs, e a poluição por microplásticos. Além disso, há uma preocupação com a geração de resíduos de embalagens pela alteração nos padrões de consumo, com o aumento da procura por serviços de e-commerce e delivery. Além de uma preocupação ambiental, destaca-se um problema de ordem social à longo prazo, devido à quebra de padrões de comportamentos sustentáveis na utilização de plástico descartável. Implicações da pesquisa: Soluções são propostas no sentido de utilização de plásticos biodegradáveis, reutilização de EPIs e novas tecnologias de tratamento de resíduos, além da mudança no comportamento social. Originalidade/valor: De um modo geral, o estudo fornece insights e promove reflexões sobre os desafios enfrentados no gerenciamento de resíduos plásticos durante a pandemia de COVID-19.Alternate :Purpose: The article aims to analyze the impacts and reflections of the COVID-19 pandemic on plastic waste management. Theoretical Framework: The concern with COVID-19 resulted in several protective measures, such as the use of PPE and movement restrictions in urban centers. These changes also affected patterns of generation and management of solid waste, especially plastic waste, whose negative effects on socio-environmental aspects may emerge due to its inadequate disposal. Method: We conducted a systematic literature review in the databases Scopus, Sage and Web of Science, employing the Methodi Ordinatio. The review selected 22 studies to compose the research portfolio. Results and conclusion: The results showed a higher concentration of studies on plastic waste in coastal regions, especially from PPE and microplastic pollution. Moreover, there is a concern with the generation of packaging waste by shifting consumption patterns with the increased demand for e-commerce and delivery services. Besides an environmental concern, a long-term social problem stands out regarding the breaking of sustainable behavior patterns in using disposable plastic. Research implications: We propose solutions involving the use of biodegradable plastics, reuse of PPE, and new waste treatment technologies, besides changes in social behavior. Originality/Value: Overall, the study provides insights and promotes reflections on the challenges faced in managing plastic waste during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fertilisers, the much-needed boost to crops

In this article, the IFA Strategic Forum, which was held by the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), facilitated the exchange of ideas among key stakeholders in Africa to develop new partnerships. The event explored how the fertiliser industry and its partners can help in supporting farmers and strengthen food systems to unlock Africa's huge potential to sustainably feed itself and others amid climate change and COVID-19. Improving fertiliser access on the continent was one of the focuses of the forum, which looked ahead to the crucial second Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit planned for 2023. The Africa Fertilizer Map is the first-ever visualisation tool that contains the continent's fertiliser data provided by different associations - primarily AfricanFertilizer.org (AFO) and the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) - and inputs from others, the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), African Union (AUC), and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). As an alternative, in Kenya, farmers are looking at an organic fertiliser Bokashi, which is restoring depleted soils. It is made by fermenting organic material to quickly create a nutrient-rich compost.

Degradation of Triclosan in the Water Environment by Microorganisms: A Review.

Triclosan (TCS), a kind of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), is widely used and has had a large production over years. It is an emerging pollutant in the water environment that has attracted global attention due to its toxic effects on organisms and aquatic ecosystems, and its concentrations in the water environment are expected to increase since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Some researchers found that microbial degradation of TCS is an environmentally sustainable technique that results in the mineralization of large amounts of organic pollutants without toxic by-products. In this review, we focus on the fate of TCS in the water environment, the diversity of TCS-degrading microorganisms, biodegradation pathways and molecular mechanisms, in order to provide a reference for the efficient degradation of TCS and other PPCPs by microorganisms.

COLLAGEN-PEPTIDE-BASED DRUG DELIVERY STRATEGIES

Collagen-targeting strategies have proven to be an effective method for targeting drugs to pathological tissues for treatment of disease. The use of collagen-like peptides for controlling the assembly of drug delivery vehicles, as well as their integration into collagen-containing matrices, offers significant advantages for tuning the morphologies of assembled structures, their thermoresponsiveness, and the loading and release of both small-molecule and macromolecular cargo. In this contribution, we summarize the design and development of collagen-peptide-based drug delivery systems introduced by the Kiick group and detail the expansion of our understanding and the application of these unique molecules through collaborations with experts in computational simulations (Jayaraman), osteoarthritis (Price), and gene delivery (Sullivan). Kiick was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2019 and was to deliver an address describing the innovations of her research. Given the cancellation of the NAI Annual Meeting as a result of coronavirus travel restrictions, her work based on collagen-peptide-mediated assembly is instead summarized in this contribution.

Microbial Consortia and Mixed Plastic Waste: Pangenomic Analysis Reveals Potential for Degradation of Multiple Plastic Types via Previously Identified PET Degrading Bacteria.

The global utilization of single-use, non-biodegradable plastics, such as bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), has contributed to catastrophic levels of plastic pollution. Fortunately, microbial communities are adapting to assimilate plastic waste. Previously, our work showed a full consortium of five bacteria capable of synergistically degrading PET. Using omics approaches, we identified the key genes implicated in PET degradation within the consortium's pangenome and transcriptome. This analysis led to the discovery of a novel PETase, EstB, which has been observed to hydrolyze the oligomer BHET and the polymer PET. Besides the genes implicated in PET degradation, many other biodegradation genes were discovered. Over 200 plastic and plasticizer degradation-related genes were discovered through the Plastic Microbial Biodegradation Database (PMBD). Diverse carbon source utilization was observed by a microbial community-based assay, which, paired with an abundant number of plastic- and plasticizer-degrading enzymes, indicates a promising possibility for mixed plastic degradation. Using RNAseq differential analysis, several genes were predicted to be involved in PET degradation, including aldehyde dehydrogenases and several classes of hydrolases. Active transcription of PET monomer metabolism was also observed, including the generation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)/polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) biopolymers. These results present an exciting opportunity for the bio-recycling of mixed plastic waste with upcycling potential.

Degradation Behavior, Biocompatibility, Electrochemical Performance, and Circularity Potential of Transient Batteries.

Transient technology seeks the development of materials, devices, or systems that undergo controlled degradation processes after a stable operation period, leaving behind harmless residues. To enable externally powered fully transient devices operating for longer periods compared to passive devices, transient batteries are needed. Albeit transient batteries are initially intended for biomedical applications, they represent an effective solution to circumvent the current contaminant leakage into the environment. Transient technology enables a more efficient recycling as it enhances material retrieval rates, limiting both human and environmental exposures to the hazardous pollutants present in conventional batteries. Little efforts are focused to catalog and understand the degradation characteristics of transient batteries. As the energy field is a property-driven science, not only electrochemical performance but also their degradation behavior plays a pivotal role in defining the specific end-use applications. The state-of-the-art transient batteries are critically reviewed with special emphasis on the degradation mechanisms, transiency time, and biocompatibility of the released degradation products. The potential of transient batteries to change the current paradigm that considers batteries as harmful waste is highlighted. Overall, transient batteries are ready for takeoff and hold a promising future to be a frontrunner in the uptake of circular economy concepts.