18.02.2026
Plastics are an integral part of our daily lives. Despite efforts to reduce their consumption or improve recycling, enormous amounts of plastic waste are still generated. Scientists are therefore looking for alternatives that are equally practical but environmentally friendly. One of them is Karel Sedlář and his interdisciplinary team from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication Technologies and the Faculty of Chemistry at Brno University of Technology. As part of their JUNIOR STAR project, they aim to change the way we think about plastics—literally from the ground up.
Bioplastics from Bacteria
In addition to the well-known petroleum-based plastics, there are so-called bioplastics—plastics created by living organisms, often the smallest ones: bacteria. The JUNIOR STAR project, supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GA ČR), focuses on bacteria that produce special polymers called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). These are specialized plastic materials naturally produced by bacteria and are potentially fully biodegradable.
“Current plastic recycling is based on crushing, melting, and reshaping used plastics. However, this cycle cannot be repeated indefinitely. With each processing step, the material gradually degrades and loses its original properties,” explains Karel Sedlář, highlighting the limitations of conventional plastics.
Unlike traditional petrochemical plastics, PHAs are not only produced by bacteria but can also be broken down by them back into basic building blocks—carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. These elements can then be used to synthesize entirely new materials for further use.
“We want to better understand how these bacteria create natural plastics and how they can break them down again. That’s why in our JUNIOR STAR project we are examining millions of known microbial genomes while also sequencing new ones. We are searching for specific bacterial genes that produce the enzymes responsible for PHA synthesis. We then classify these genes according to the properties of the bioplastics created by these enzymes. Our goal is to create a practical encyclopedia allowing other scientists to selectively identify bacteria that produce specific types of plastics,” Karel Sedlář describes the ambitions of the project.
Better Understanding at the Molecular Level
Biologically produced plastics are already commercially available—specialized companies produce biopolymers—but such plastics are not yet cost-competitive with conventional petrochemical plastics. Current biopolymer research and industry largely focus only on observable traits (phenotypes) and do not seek a deeper understanding of the underlying molecular processes.
“In my project, we take an interdisciplinary approach—linking macromolecular chemistry with genomics and bioinformatics. I want both polymer scientists and biologists to understand the topic in a broader context and for research on biologically produced plastics to enter a completely new era,” adds Karel Sedlář.
International Partners
The research of Karel Sedlář has attracted interest from the Dutch company Paques Biomaterials, which already produces PHAs bacterially. This innovative company focuses on developing biodegradable alternatives to current plastics. It is not the only international partner involved in the project.
“During my studies, I established various international collaborations, which I have continued and expanded throughout my career. For the first scientific paper resulting from the project in its first year, we collaborated with the team of Eveline Peeters from VUB in Brussels,” Karel Sedlář highlights, emphasizing the successful international cooperation.
