Plastic waste remains a growing global challenge, with common materials such as PET used in bottles, packaging, and textiles accumulating across land and marine environments. New research from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in collaboration with the Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia, among other institutions, shows mangrove ecosystems may help scientists identify enzymes linked to breaking these plastic materials down.  

The team examined how changing conditions such as drying soils, seawater exposure, and pollution affect microbial communities in mangrove soils. They found that adding agricultural residues to mangrove soils increased the number of enzymes with the potential to break down PET, packaging, and textiles. 

The researchers also identified a previously unknown group of related enzymes that may offer new ways to break down materials in industrial scenarios where salt levels are too high for many conventional enzymes.   

"We are trying to understand how microbial communities in nature respond to changing conditions, and how that can help us discover new microbes and proteins,” said Diego Javier Jiménez Avella, research scientist at KAUST, who conceived and led the study. “Mangroves are environments with extraordinary microbial diversity, shaped by constant change, which makes them important to study.” 

The team used metagenomics, artificial intelligence, and 3D structural analysis to study the newly identified enzymes and assess how they may function in high-salinity environments. 

Mangroves grow along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastline and play an important role in coastal protection, biodiversity, and carbon storage. Understanding how these ecosystems function at a microscopic level can help researchers assess how they respond to environmental pressures, including pollution and climate-related stress. 

The researchers emphasize that the study’s findings are an early step. Further work is needed to test the enzymes and understand their practical potential. “Mangroves are dynamic environments where microorganisms constantly adapt to change,” commented Alexandre Rosado, professor of bioscience at KAUST and co-author of this study. “By studying these systems, we can better understand how nature develops useful functions and how to identify them.” 

The study is published in Nature Communications.