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perestroika@slrpnk.net

Scientists bioproduce biodegradable plastic stronger than PET (www.sciencedaily.com)

submitted 1 week ago by solo@slrpnk.net to c/science@slrpnk.net

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A Japanese research team successfully harnessed E. coli to produce PDCA, a strong, biodegradable plastic alternative. Their method avoids toxic byproducts and achieves record production levels, overcoming key roadblocks with creative fixes.

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[–] perestroika@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

The article falls a bit short. It fails to mention which isomer of PDCA they actually produced.

I'm inclined to think it might have been:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipicolinic_acid

...because some bacteria use it to build endospores. But I've never seen a useful item made out of it, and strength is only one property of a material. Others like cost, melting point, flammability, elasticity... they also matter.-

[–] solo@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago

I believe you are right: this article is just a very brief overview of the actual research.

The answers to your question can be found in the actual research article, and, to my understanding, partially in its title:

Biosynthesis of 2,5-pyridinedicarboxylate from glucose via p-aminobenzoic acid in Escherichia coli

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