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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers
Published on: December 16, 2022
Enzymatic hydrolysis of poly(ethylene furanoate)
Alessandro Pellis1, Karolina Haernvall2, Christian M Pichler3
1BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Institute for Environmental Biotechnology, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 20, 3430, Tulln an der Donau, Austria.
Abstract:
The urgency of producing new environmentally-friendly polyesters strongly enhanced the development of bio-based poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) as an alternative to plastics like poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) for applications that include food packaging, personal and home care containers and thermoforming equipment. In this study, PEF powders of various molecular weights (6, 10 and 40kDa) were synthetized and their susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated for the first time. According to LC/TOF-MS analysis, cutinase 1 from Thermobifida cellulosilytica liberated both 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and oligomers of up to DP4. The enzyme preferentially hydrolyzed PEF with higher molecular weights but was active on all tested substrates. Mild enzymatic hydrolysis of PEF has a potential both for surface functionalization and monomers recycling.
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