Biocatalytic Recycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate: From Conventional to Innovative Routes for Transforming Plastic and Textile Waste into Renewable Resources

The rapid accumulation of plastic and textile waste, particularly polyethylene terephthalate (PET), has emerged as a global challenge for sustainable resource management. Conventional recycling methods, including mechanical and chemical routes, recover limited value and often degrade material quality while consuming substantial energy. Biocatalytic recycling, by contrast, offers a resource-efficient alternative that transforms post-consumer PET into high-purity monomers under mild and environmentally benign conditions. This review examines advances in enzymatic PET depolymerization, focusing on hydrolases such as cutinases, PETases, MHETases, and lipases. The discussion highlights enzyme engineering, reactor design, and process integration that improve kinetics, thermostability, and yield. From a resource perspective, biocatalytic recycling redefines PET waste as a renewable carbon feedstock capable of re-entering industrial cycles, thereby reducing reliance on virgin petrochemicals and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, this review positions biocatalytic PET recycling as a cornerstone technology for achieving circularity and advancing global resource sustainability.