Every year, 400 million tons of plastic are disposed of. Only 10% of plastic trash is recycled while the rest pollute the water, food chain, air, and even human blood. Microplastics are known to cause cell damage in the human blood stream. With so much pollution from plastics, there are many scientists trying to solve the issue of plastic trash polluting the environment.

A team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin has developed an AI designed enzyme that can breakdown plastic in under 24 hours. The enzyme is called hydrolase and it can breakdown polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into its component molecules. The broken down material can be fully reformed into new products, eliminating the wasted plastic.

PET plastic is one of the most common types of plastics and accounts for 12% of the manmade trash. This type of plastic is commonly used in the food industry, such as of plastic soda bottles and disposable serving trays. The researchers demonstrated the whole circular recycling process of breaking down the PET plastic with the enzyme and then making a new product. This technology can be used to clean up landfills, waste plants, and any dumping area that is polluted by PET plastics.

For more on this, head to Forbes