At the Centre for Enzyme Innovation, we are working to solve one of the most pressing environmental issues facing our planet.

Learning from the natural world, we are delivering transformative enzyme-enabled solutions for the circular recycling of plastics.

Following a Â£5.8 million award from the Research England Expanding Excellence Fund in 2019, and a £1m award from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership in 2020 through the HM Government Getting Building Fund, we have created state-of-the-art facilities and built a team of specialist multidiscipline researchers to deliver world-class research and innovation. 


Our research

We currently have 30 scientists covering a wide range of disciplines including microbiology, molecular biophysics, biochemistry, enzyme engineering and synthetic biology, biotechnology, and more recently, polymer chemistry.

Hosted in our new custom laboratories, we have the expertise and facilities required to help tackle the challenge of plastic pollution and develop enzyme-based low energy, low carbon, biorecycling solutions. 

Our research sits at the interface between enzymes and polymers with a focus on both pure and applied research in biocatalysis.

We are expanding our research and innovation activities to address the diverse range of plastics, including mixed waste streams and composites, materials that are often incinerated or end up in landfill and leak to the environment.

Centre Director

Professor Andy Pickford

Our research is divided into 4 areas

  • Discover new enzymes from the environment that break down plastics
  • Engineer these enzymes to enhance their activity, stability and yield
  • Deploy enzymes by pilot scale fermentation and industry-ready formulations
  • Apply these enzymes in proof-of-concept biorecycling and upcycling processes

How we work

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The CEI’s unique integrated research and innovation pipeline

The pipeline allows for the streamlined development of enzymes from discovery through to recycling applications.

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Working towards a circular plastics economy

Enzymes break down waste plastic polymers into building blocks that are purified and re-polymerised, allowing infinite recycling of the materials as part of a circular plastics economy.

Publication highlights

2024

Banerjee, S., Beckham, G. T., Bemmer, V. L., Clark, M. A., Dale, T., Groseclose, T., Kober, E., Moore, B. R., Nguyen, H., Pickford, A.

17 Sep 2024, In: ACS Catalysis. 14, 17p.

Bemmer, V. L., Cahill, A., Green, K. R., Lichtenstein, B., Oliveira Pessoa, L., Wuscher, L.

17 May 2024, In: Faraday Discussions

Allcock, N., Bemmer, V., Cherny, D., Del Villar-Guerra, R., Dominguez, C., Donnelly, A., Kalra, S., Matthews, D., Revyakin, A., Rusling, D. A., Singh, N.

2 May 2024, In: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Beckham, G. T., Burgin, T., Crowley, M. F., Knott, B. C., Mayes, H. B., McGeehan, J., Pollard, B. C., Woodcock, H. L.

27 Mar 2024, In: Communications Chemistry. 7, 14p., 65

2023

Lamb, C. E., Watts, J. E. M.

1 Dec 2023, In: Environmental Microbiome. 18, 1, 11p., 52

Active Research Projects

Lichtenstein, B.

01/11/2022 → 31/10/2027

Funding

Researchers from the Centre for Enzyme Innovation receive funding from a wide range of external sources, including the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the National Environment Research Council (NERC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the European Commission, Innovate UK, Diamond Light Source, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Johnson Matthey, the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Iwatani Foundation. 

Our most recent large funding awards were awarded from the Research England E3 scheme (£5.8m) and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (£1m).

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Solent Local Enterprise Partnership logo
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Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Contact us

Discover how you can collaborate with the CEI.

If you're a commercial or academic organisation interested in working with us, please contact our Innovation Fellow, .

Centre email and telephone

cei@port.ac.uk |