The Centre for Enzyme Innovation

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 £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.

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

The CEI’s unique integrated research and innovation pipeline

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

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.

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