Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have successfully used bacteria to convert plastic waste into paracetamol, offering a promising new approach to drug manufacturing and environmental cleanup.
The study, published in Nature Chemistry, reveals that E. coli bacteria can be engineered to produce paracetamol (acetaminophen) from materials derived from recycled plastic bottles. Traditionally, paracetamol is synthesized from petroleum-based feedstocks. The new method opens the door to a more sustainable production route by replacing fossil fuels with waste plastic as the starting material.
The researchers focused on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic used in packaging and drink bottles. They employed environmentally friendly chemical processes to break down PET into a new intermediate compound. This compound was then fed to the genetically modified E. coli, which completed the final chemical steps to produce paracetamol.
First-Ever Biocompatible Lossen Rearrangement
A key finding of the research was the discovery that a Lossen rearrangement — a chemical reaction not previously seen in nature — could occur in living cells without harming them. This reaction proved essential for transforming the PET-derived intermediate into paracetamol within the bacteria. The researchers demonstrated that this reaction can occur in a biocompatible environment.
Professor Stephen Wallace, the lead author of the study, emphasized the dual benefit of the discovery. He said:
What this technology shows is that by merging chemistry and biology in this way for the first time, we can make paracetamol more sustainably and clean up plastic waste from the environment at the same time.
But how can consumption of plastic be good for human health? Now the medicine will transfer recycled plastic into our bodies?