# Engineering Enzymes for Environmental Sustainability

## TL;DR

Engineered enzymes can help reduce environmental impact by improving sustainability in processes like carbon capture, pollution cleanup, and plastic recycling.

## Contribution

This paper reviews how directed evolution has enabled the development of enzymes for sustainable chemical processes and environmental conservation.

## Key findings

- Engineered enzymes can capture CO2 and be used in efficient CO2 fixation pathways.
- Cutinases and PETases have been developed to break down PET plastic.
- Biocatalytic methods are being used to convert plant biomass into biofuels.

## Abstract

The development and implementation of sustainable catalytic technologies is key to delivering our net‐zero targets. Here we review how engineered enzymes, with a focus on those developed using directed evolution, can be deployed to improve the sustainability of numerous processes and help to conserve our environment. Efficient and robust biocatalysts have been engineered to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and have been embedded into new efficient metabolic CO2 fixation pathways. Enzymes have been refined for bioremediation, enhancing their ability to degrade toxic and harmful pollutants. Biocatalytic recycling is gaining momentum, with engineered cutinases and PETases developed for the depolymerization of the abundant plastic, polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Finally, biocatalytic approaches for accessing petroleum‐based feedstocks and chemicals are expanding, using optimized enzymes to convert plant biomass into biofuels or other high value products. Through these examples, we hope to illustrate how enzyme engineering and biocatalysis can contribute to the development of cleaner and more efficient chemical industry.