Evaluation of Pretreatment Strategies and Combinations of Enzymes for Degradation of Polyethylene Terephthalate

ABSTRACT Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is one of the most widely used thermoplastic polymers, renowned for its exceptional physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, making it a popular choice for various applications. On the other hand, PET is a major part of plastic waste, and therefore, research devoted to PET degradation is at the forefront of developing recycling methods. This fundamental study focuses on the enzymatic degradation of model substrate PET using a range of established cutinases (PHL‐7, HiC, LCC WT , and LCC ICCG ) alongside IsPETase under varying conditions. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted to investigate the impact of reaction temperatures, polymer pretreatment methods, and dual‐enzyme systems on enhancing PET biodegradation. The pretreatment techniques employed, targeting crystallinity reduction, enzymatic adsorption, and exchange‐surface modifications, proved pivotal in accelerating the degradation process and improving the yield of PET monomers. The novelty of this work lies in systematically studying the effects of combined pretreatment strategies on enzymatic PET degradation. Furthermore, the integration of multiple enzymes enhances the overall efficiency of PET hydrolysis. These findings provide a comparative framework that integrates enzyme performance with pretreatment effects.