Enzymatic degradation of synthetic polyisoprenes via surfactant-free polymer emulsification

Adjedje, V.B.K., et. al. Green Chemistry, 2021, 23, 9433-9438, DOI: 10.1039/D1GC03515K

Polyisoprenes are ubiquitously applied in industry as motor mounts, pipe gaskets, sporting equipment and many other molded and mechanical goods. We report the enzymatic degradation of a synthetic polyisoprene with a cis:trans ratio of 56:27 for the first time. Utilizing a bioinspired surfactant-free emulsification strategy in water resulted in substantially increased activities with the Latex Clearing Protein LcpK30. Published with a permission of the Green Chemistry 2021.