Bacteria may hold the key to transforming plastic waste into painkillers, according to recent research, suggesting a more eco-friendly method for drug production.
Chemists have shown that E. coli can be utilized to produce paracetamol, or acetaminophen, from a substance derived in the lab from plastic bottles.
“People don’t really understand that paracetamol comes from oil at the moment,” noted Prof. Stephen Wallace from the University of Edinburgh, who led the study. “This technology demonstrates that by combining chemistry and biology for the first time, we can produce paracetamol more sustainably while also tackling plastic waste in the environment.”
In their article in Nature Chemistry, Wallace and his team detailed their findings related to a specific chemical reaction known as a Lossen rearrangement, which had not previously been observed in nature but proved biocompatible—able to occur without harming living cells.
The discovery emerged when the researchers treated polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic commonly used in food packaging and bottles, using sustainable chemical methods to transform it into a novel material.
Upon incubating this material with a non-pathogenic strain of E. coli, the team noted it was converted into another compound called PABA, likely through a Lossen rearrangement.
Interestingly, while this rearrangement usually requires harsh lab conditions, it happened naturally in the presence of E. coli, with phosphate inside the cells acting as a catalyst.
The researchers mentioned that while PABA is vital for bacteria growth, particularly for DNA synthesis, it’s usually produced from different substances inside the cell. However, in their experiment, the genetically modified E. coli had pathways blocked, compelling it to utilize the PET-derived material.
These results are promising, indicating that plastic waste could be transformed into biological resources. “It’s a method to really clean up plastic waste,” Wallace remarked.
The team further modified the E. coli by introducing two genes—one from mushrooms and another from soil bacteria—that allowed for the conversion of PABA into paracetamol.
With this specialized strain, the bacteria were able to transform the PET-based material into paracetamol in less than 24 hours, achieving low emissions and a yield of nearly 92%.
Although additional research is necessary for commercial production of paracetamol in this manner, these findings may have practical implications.
“This opens up a new pathway from plastic waste to paracetamol—an option that neither biology nor chemistry alone could achieve,” said Wallace.
