2020 Virtual AIChE Annual Meeting
(664d) Recent Advances in Plastics Upcycling
Authors
Gregg Beckham - Presenter, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Scott Nicholson, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Nicholas A. Rorrer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Alberta Carpenter, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Avantika Singh, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Lucas Ellis, University of Colorado - Boulder
Kevin Sullivan, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Isabel Pardo, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Allison Werner, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
David Brandner, National Renewable Energy Lab
Brenna A. Black, National Renewable Laboratory
Rita Clare, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Erika Erickson, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
John McGeehan, University of Portsmouth
Chen Wang, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Ana R. C. Morais, University of Kansas
This talk will review our group's recent efforts in the deconstruction and upcycling of today's plastics using chemical catalysis, enzymes, and engineered microbes. Examples include depolymerization of PET using enzymatic catalysts, depolymerization of polyolefins with chemical catalysis, and upcycling of plastics-derived intermediates using biological funneling. Analysis of the major plastics consumed in the United States will also be presented, describing the supply chain energy and greenhouse gas emissions associated with commodity plastics as a foundational dataset for evaluating new circular economy and bio-based plastics technologies.