{"schemaVersion":"1.0","generatedFrom":"https://brightaifuture.com/discoveries/petase","record":{"id":"petase","headline":"An enzyme for a plastic problem.","canonicalUrl":"https://brightaifuture.com/discoveries/petase","datePublished":"2026-09-05","dateModified":null,"sourcePublicationDate":"2022-04-27","author":null,"publisher":{"name":"Bright AI Future","url":"https://brightaifuture.com/"},"topics":[],"summary":"Scientists used machine learning to help engineer an enzyme that breaks down PET plastic.","evidenceState":"Experimental","keyFacts":[{"label":"AI’s role","value":"A model guided protein mutations for improved performance."},{"label":"Documented result","value":"Engineered enzymes demonstrated PET depolymerization in laboratory experiments."},{"label":"Important limitation","value":"Laboratory success does not establish industrial economics or a solution for all plastics."}],"limitations":["Laboratory success does not establish industrial economics or a solution for all plastics."],"evidenceLinks":[{"title":"Machine learning-aided engineering of hydrolases for PET depolymerization","url":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04599-z","type":"paper"}],"evidencePackUrl":"https://brightaifuture.com/evidence-pack/petase","embedUrl":"https://brightaifuture.com/embed/story/petase","attribution":{"credit":"Bright AI Future","requirements":["Link to the canonical Bright record.","Keep material limitations with the claim they qualify.","Link to the original evidence when repeating a substantive claim.","Do not describe a source check or organization-reported result as independent verification."],"sourceRights":"Linked source material, quotations, trademarks and media remain subject to their owners’ terms. No reuse right is granted for third-party media."}},"claim":{"humanProblem":"PET waste is difficult to return to reusable chemical building blocks.","priorConstraint":"Enzymatic recycling is constrained by activity and operating conditions.","aiRole":"A model guided protein mutations for improved performance.","documentedResult":"Engineered enzymes demonstrated PET depolymerization in laboratory experiments.","whyItMayMatter":"A possible component of improved recycling processes.","unresolvedQuestions":["Evaluate scale, energy use, and realistic waste streams."]},"evidenceAssessment":{"state":"Experimental","claimConfidence":"unassessed","reviewState":"source-checked","reviewMethod":null,"reviewNote":"Legacy source check; no named human reviewer is recorded in this projection.","lastSourceReview":"2026-09-05","independentVerification":"not-established-by-this-source-review"},"sources":[{"id":"source:petase","title":"Machine learning-aided engineering of hydrolases for PET depolymerization","url":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04599-z","type":"paper"}],"revisions":[],"corrections":[]}