	US 12,344,880 B2
	Mechanoenzymatic degradation of polymers
Karine Auclair, Laval (CA); Tomislav Friščić, Verdun (CA); Sandra Kaabel, Montréal (CA); and James Patrick Therien, Montreal (CA)
Assigned to THE ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL UNIVERSITY, Montréal (CA)
Appl. No. 17/770,333
Filed by THE ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL UNIVERSITY, Montréal (CA)
PCT Filed Oct. 27, 2020, PCT No. PCT/CA2020/051438 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 20, 2022, PCT Pub. No. WO2021/081633, PCT Pub. Date May 6, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/926,738, filed on Oct. 28, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0403422 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. C08J 11/10 (2006.01); C12N 9/18 (2006.01); C12P 7/40 (2006.01)

CPC C12P 7/40 (2013.01) [C08J 11/105 (2013.01); C12N 9/18 (2013.01); C12Y 301/01074 (2013.01); C08J 2367/02 (2013.01); C08J 2367/04 (2013.01)]

20 Claims

1. A method of depolymerizing a polymer, said method comprising:

A) combining together the polymer with an enzyme and an aqueous liquid to provide a reaction mixture;

wherein said polymer comprises a (CO)—O bond of an ester or carbonate linkage; wherein said reaction mixture is defining a ratio eta (η) of liquid volume, in μL, to total solids, in mg, that is less than 2 μL/mg;

said enzyme is a hydrolytic enzyme capable of catalyzing cleavage of said (CO)—O bond of an ester or carbonate linkage of said polymer; and

B) allowing an enzyme-catalyzed reaction of said enzyme with said polymer to take place thereby forming a reaction product.