Protein Evolution, a US company that develops innovative plastic recycling solutions, has partnered with the Slovenian biotech company Acies Bio to scale up the production of plastic-eating enzymes.

Acies Bio, which specialises in microbial R&D and biomanufacturing, will use its SmartRoute, an advanced microbial platform for efficient protein production, to develop and scale up the production of plastic-degrading enzymes discovered by Protein Evolution.

This will enable Protein Evolution, based in New Haven, Connecticut, to take its Biopure technology from lab scale to full-scale production, and provide an efficient and low-carbon solution to address the global plastic waste crisis, Acies Bio said in an announcement on 21 November.

The release quoted Protein Evolution chief technology officer Jay Konieczka in describing the partnership with Acies Bio as "a pivotal moment in our journey to make commercial-scale enzyme-based plastic recycling a reality".

Acies Bio CEO Štefan Fujs added that the company is "committed to advancing sustainable solutions in precision fermentation" and that the partnership "allows us to apply our SmartRoute platform to help address a major, global environmental challenge".

A demonstration facility for the Biopure technology is expected to become operational in 2025, followed by a planned increase to full-scale production. The partnership is a major step in the vision of both companies for developing sustainable methods of plastic recycling.

The announcement comes less than a month after Acies Bio concluded a partnership with Germany's BASF to further develop a platform for fermentation technology from methanol for the production of fatty alcohols, which are used in the production of home and personal care products.