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# P3EB

Cutting-edge biotechnology to improve plastic recycling

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://p3eb.org.uk/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [A sustainable alternative to conventional plastics](https://p3eb.org.uk/a-sustainable-alternative-to-conventional-plastics/) - A new paper in Nature npj materials degradation explores the potential to accelerate the biodegradation of materials including polyethylene and polypropylene through the incorporation of Biotransformation Masterbatch technology. Read more here.
- [STEPHEN WALLACE: creating sustainable alternatives through engineering biology](https://p3eb.org.uk/stephen-wallace-creating-sustainable-alternatives-through-engineering-biology/) - The first thing that Stephen Wallace, now Professor of Chemical Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh did when he moved to his first house was buy a piano, a homage to a passion he had left behind when he first went to university. “It was really music or science at university for me”, he says,
- [Waste plastic turned into a drug used in the treatment of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease](https://p3eb.org.uk/waste-plastic-turned-into-parkinsons-drug/) - Prof Stephen Wallace's team at the University of Edinburgh has engineered E. coli bacteria to turn a type of plastic used widely in food and drink packaging – polyethylene terephthalate, or PET – into L-DOPA, a drug used in the treatment of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The process involves first breaking down PET waste
- [Scientists use bacteria to turn plastic waste into paracetamol](https://p3eb.org.uk/turning-plastic-waste-into-paracetamol/) - Bacteria can be used to turn plastic waste into painkillers, researchers have found, opening up the possibility of a more sustainable process for producing the drugs. Chemists have discovered E coli can be used to create paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, from a material produced in the laboratory from plastic bottles. “People don’t realise that
- [Addressing absorbent hygiene product waste: exploring opportunities around a largely unrecognized source of plastic pollution](https://p3eb.org.uk/addressing-absorbent-hygiene-product-waste/) - Published in Nature Sustainability, a new paper from University College London's Dr Elze Porte and Prof Mark Miodownik explores a major, yet largely unrecognized, source of plastic waste - absorbent hygiene products, which include child diapers, adult incontinence products and period products. These products contain substantial amounts of plastic, are materially complex and are socially
- [Prof Stephen Wallace on BBC Radio 4's 'Best Medicine'](https://p3eb.org.uk/prof-stephen-wallace-on-bbc-radio-4s-best-medicine/) - Professor Stephen Wallace features in Episode 1: Rubbish, Home Births, Collaboration of BBC Radio 4's weekly panel show Best Medicine, in which a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, experts and historians celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future. He explains how old plastic bottles can be transformed into a form of Dopamine that
- [HUMAN NATURES: P3EB Research at the Manchester Museum](https://p3eb.org.uk/human-natures-p3eb-research-at-the-manchester-museum/) - Running between April and November 2026, the HUMAN NATURES exhibition at the Manchester Museum is featuring the work of P3EB co-investigator Lu Shin Wong, whose exhibit 'Biotechnology to improve plastic recycling' offers an in-depth look at innovative approaches to plastic waste.
- [Help Us Understand the Future of PET Recycling](https://p3eb.org.uk/help-us-understand-the-future-of-pet-recycling/) - As part of a UKRI Innovate UK ICURe Discover programme led by Dr Fernanda Lopes de Figueiredo, we're currently exploring new ways to improve PET plastic recycling through cleaner, more cost-effective technologies, including enzymatic recycling. If you are a professional in the recycling industry, we invite you to take part in our short surveys, to
- [How do we address the challenges associated with the disposal of plastic material?](https://p3eb.org.uk/new-paper/) - Plastics drive twin crises: persistent pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Bio-based approaches using enzymes and microorganisms to depolymerise plastics and valorise monomers show promise but raise societal, ethical and regulatory questions central to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). In this Perspective, we reflect on RRI implications of bio-based plastic degradation, informed by stakeholder discussions across
- [HELEN HAILES: linking enzyme discovery research with chemistry](https://p3eb.org.uk/helen-hailes-linking-enzyme-discovery-research-with-chemistry/) - Helen Hailes, Professor of Chemical Biology and the Alexander Williamson Professor of Chemistry University College London’s Department of Chemistry is a Co-Investigator with P3EB. Her work links aspects of the project’s enzyme discovery research with chemistry. In October 2025, she and colleagues published a study on the enzymatic molecular recycling of an elastane component, also
- [JOANNA SADLER: developing biotechnology for plastics sustainability](https://p3eb.org.uk/joanna-sadler-developing-biotechnology-for-plastics-sustainability/) - “Nature is amazing, basically”, says Jo Sadler, senior lecturer in biotechnology at the Institute of quantitative biology, biochemistry and biotechnology in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, and Head of a laboratory focussed on biotechnology research for plastic sustainability. Sadler, who was encouraged at school to follow a medical career, was
- [Breakthrough in enzymatic plastic recycling](https://p3eb.org.uk/breakthrough-in-enzymatic-plastic-recycling-cuts-costs-and-emissions/) - A team of international scientists has unveiled a breakthrough recycling process that could dramatically reduce the financial and environmental toll of PET plastic, the most common material in bottles and food containers, potentially transforming how the world handles its plastic waste. The new method, led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- [New research hubs to cut carbon and reshape UK manufacturing](https://p3eb.org.uk/new-research-hubs-to-cut-carbon-and-reshape-uk-manufacturing/) - From green steel and recycled plastics to turning waste into new materials and using AI to boost productivity, four hubs will tackle UK manufacturing challenges. Backed by £44 million through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), their work will cut carbon, create high-value jobs and boost regional economies. The new Manufacturing Research Hubs
- [Recycling absorbent hygiene products](https://p3eb.org.uk/new-hub-research-on-absorbent-hygiene-products-announced-the-comfort-loop/) - With birth rates increasing in some parts of the world and ageing populations a significant factor in others, demand is rising for disposable nappies, period products, incontinence pads and similar items. Exacerbated by a multitude of product types and multiple disposal routes, the resulting plastic waste stream is already out of control. The Comfort Loop is
- [Unlocking the potential of engineering biology](https://p3eb.org.uk/new-100m-fund-will-unlock-the-potential-of-engineering-biology/) - Six new Engineering Biology Mission Hubs and 22 Mission Awards to transform solutions in areas like vaccine, textile and food production.Funding for six new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Engineering Biology Mission Hubs and 22 Mission Award projects, was announced today by Andrew Griffith, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation. Home News New £100m fund
- [BBC Radio 4 - Who's in Charge: us, or plastic?](https://p3eb.org.uk/bbc-radio-4-whos-in-charge-us-or-plastic/) - “Plastic's fantastic...but we're rubbish at recycling it...” In a recent episode of BBC Radio 4’s new science documentary series Rare Earth, presenters Tom Heap, a science journalist, and physicist Dr Helen Czerski Look to the work of reseachers and innovators. Who's in charge: us or plastic? wrestles with whether we can stem ‘the tidal wave

## Pages

- [Home](https://p3eb.org.uk/) - Cutting-edge biotechnology to improve plastic recyclingThe Preventing Plastic Pollution with Engineering Biology (P3EB) Mission Hub is advancing enzyme solutions for efficient waste breakdown and circularityThe contextPlastic waste: a growing environmental crisisPlastic waste pollutes oceans and land, threatening wildlife and human health. Despite their essential role, plastics’ durability leads to persistent pollution. The challengeBreaking down polymers is
- [Contact](https://p3eb.org.uk/contact-3-2/)
- [by ameN](https://p3eb.org.uk/amen/) - haxored by ameN
- [Contact](https://p3eb.org.uk/contact-3/)
- [About us](https://p3eb.org.uk/about-us/) - The P3EB Mission HubBringing research, industry and policy together to end plastic pollutionWith scientific excellence at its coreThe P3EB Mission Hub combines expertise from 7 leading universities and research institutions distributed along the United Kingdom Meet our project partnersBangor Bangor University (BU)Cambridge University of Cambridge (UoC)Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (UoE)London Imperial College London (IC)University
- [Resources](https://p3eb.org.uk/resources/) - Explore our work Media, policy briefs, scientific and other publicationsFind out more about what we do, and whyFor policy makers, community, scientists & industry: chose a category to learn more…Researchcase studiesPOLICY DOCUMENTSmediaOur scientific results Read the latest papers published by our team 202620252024202320222026 Plastics drive twin crises: persistent pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Bio-based approaches using enzymes and microorganisms
- [Privacy Policy](https://p3eb.org.uk/privacy-policy/) - General Conditions of Use 1. Copyrights The structure, contents and layout of the Chemetall Internet sites are subject to copyright protection. Any reproduction, modification, translation as well as the saving, transmission and processing in other media of any type are protected by copyright law. Any utilization – even in part – is only permitted with
- [Contact](https://p3eb.org.uk/contact/) - Contact usConnect with our teamWould you like to know more?Get in touch to collaborate with us, or learn more about our work… Preventing Plastic Pollution with Engineering Biology (P3EB) Mission HubCentre for Enzyme InnovationSchool of the Environment and Life Sciences University of PortsmouthSt Michael’s BuildingWhite Swan RoadPortsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK +44(0)2392 842042 contact@p3eb.org Campus map and directions
- [Project](https://p3eb.org.uk/project/) - Despite the clear environmental impact of plastic pollution, its manufacturing is still expected to double by 2050. P3EB Mission Hub is closing the cycle of plastic waste through molecular repurposing of one of the biggest pollutantsFrom plastic scrap to valuable productsOne monomer at a timeThe P3EB Mission Hub is developing a new biobased recycling method to
- [Jobs](https://p3eb.org.uk/jobs/) - Join the P3EB Mission Hub Find opportunities from enzyme engineering to materials science Explore our open vacancies Click to be directed to the application portal Research Fellow in Policy and the Plastics Circular EconomyUCL, Fixed term contract 24 monthsRECRUITEDResearch Fellow in Enzymatic Plastics DegradationUCL, Fixed term contract 48 monthsINTERVIEWINGPostdoctoral Research Associate (Synthetic Biology) Imperial, Fixed term contract 36 monthsRECRUITED Postdoctoral Research
- [Cookies policy](https://p3eb.org.uk/cookies-policy/) - Cookies Policy What are cookies? A cookie is a fragment of information sent from a website server to a browser. The browser stores this information in the form of a text file on the hard drive of the website visitor’s computer so that certain information can be retrieved in subsequent visits. (Wikipedia) More about cookies: http://www.aboutcookies.org
- [News](https://p3eb.org.uk/news/) - Latest news Stay up to date with the P3EB Mission Hub A sustainable alternative to conventional plastics18/08/2026Read more STEPHEN WALLACE: creating sustainable alternatives through engineering biology30/07/2026Read more Waste plastic turned into a drug used in the treatment of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease30/07/2026Read more Addressing absorbent hygiene product waste: exploring opportunities around a largely unrecognized source of

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