The OCEANZYME project brings together AIMPLAS · Technological Institute of Plastics, the METU Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), under the coordination of the Vertidos Cero Association, to investigate enzymatic recycling technologies for plastics recovered from the marine environment.

Running from 2026 to 2028, the project combines metagenomics, enzyme engineering, molecular simulations and microbiology to identify bacteria and enzymes capable of degrading highly weathered marine plastics that are often unsuitable for conventional mechanical recycling.

As part of the project, passive fishing campaigns will be carried out in Spain's North Atlantic and Levantine-Balearic marine regions to collect marine litter for analysis and recycling trials.

Researchers will evaluate whether enzymatic recycling can transform degraded marine plastics into valuable secondary raw materials, while also exploring applications for the resulting products in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

The initiative is coordinated through the Pleamar Programme of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, with co-funding from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

The project reflects growing interest in advanced recycling technologies capable of recovering value from plastic waste streams that are difficult to recycle using conventional methods.