Researchers produce paracetamol from plastic

Researchers have successfully synthesized paracetamol from plastic waste using a reaction involving E. coli bacteria, according to a study whose large-scale application remains highly uncertain.

This experiment “shows that it is possible to produce this essential medicine from plastic waste, through a process that would not work with chemical or biological synthesis alone”, can be read in the summary of the study published in the scientific journal Nature Chemistry and conducted by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland.

Paracetamol, used for pain and fever, is one of the most widely used medicines. It is produced from petroleum derivatives, most often by foreign companies based in Asia, using very cheap but relatively polluting techniques.

The authors of the study, funded by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, among others, proceeded in several steps. First, they used components of a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottle used to induce a chemical reaction in a strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli).

At the end of this first stage, the bacteria synthesized a molecule called “PABA”. Then, through genetic modification of the bacteria, the scientists managed to transform this molecule into paracetamol . The authors argue that this experiment paves the way for new techniques for recycling plastic waste. However, large-scale application is still far from simple.

There are still “several practical considerations” to resolve to go beyond the simple “proof of concept” provided by this study, stressed several researchers, who were not involved in the study, in a commentary also published by Nature Chemistry.

The scientists noted that the initial reaction produces only a limited amount of PABA molecules, which “ may not be sufficient for industrial applications .” But the experiment is promising, they admitted, highlighting the value of studying processes that combine biology and artificial chemical reactions.

The study, however, has sparked skepticism among environmental organizations. “For years, not a single month has gone by without a new ‘plastic-eating bacteria’,” Melissa Valliant of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Beyond Plastic told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“These discoveries will never reach a scale sufficient to solve the massive problem of plastic pollution,” he stressed.