Project Grant 20223353037012

TODAY'S CHEMICAL INDUSTRY PREDOMINANTLY USES RAW MATERIALS DERIVED FROM FOSSIL FUELS AND AIMS TO OPTIMIZE THEIR PRODUCTS FOR COST AND PERFORMANCE, WITH LIMITED CONSIDERATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND PERSISTENCY OF THESE PRODUCTS. THIS HAS RESULTED IN INCREASING AMOUNTS OF MAN-MADE MATERIALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT; FOR EXAMPLE, IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT BY 2050 THERE WILL BE MORE PLASTIC IN THE OCEAN THAN FISH (KAPLAN 2016). THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IS THE LARGEST ACCUMULATION OF OCEAN PLASTIC IN THE WORLD AND IS LOCATED BETWEEN HAWAII AND CALIFORNIA. THE GPGP COVERS AN ESTIMATED SURFACE AREA OF 1.6 MILLION SQUARE KILOMETERS, AN AREA TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF PLASTICS RETRIEVED FROM THE GPGP ARE MADE OF RIGID OR HARD POLYETHYLENE (HDPE), POLYPROPYLENE (PP) AND DERELICT FISHING GEAR. FISHING GOODS ARE MADE FROM DIFFERENT PLASTICS, MOSTLY POLYAMIDE (PA), HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE), AND POLYPROPYLENE (PP) (LI, 2016).THEREFORE, AN URGENT PARADIGM SHIFT IS REQUIRED TO DECREASE THE IMPACT OF MAN-MADE MATERIALS (ESPECIALLY HDPE AND PP) IN THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS ADDRESS THE DWINDLING SUPPLY OF FOSSIL FUELS AND THE NECESSITY OF TRANSITIONING TO A CARBON NEUTRAL ECONOMY. THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY MUST ADAPT BY DEVELOPING CHEMICAL PLATFORMS THAT USE RENEWABLE RAW MATERIALS WHILE PRODUCING BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTS THAT THAT MATCH THEIR PETROCHEMICAL COUNTERPARTS IN COST AND PERFORMANCE BUT HAVE A BENIGN END-OF-LIFE.IN THIS PHASE I PROJECT SUSTAINABLE CHEMICALS LLC WILL DEVELOP A NEW PROCESS FOR PRODUCING HIGH PERFORMANCE, 100% BIOBASED AND BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS USING RAW MATERIALS FROM AGRICULTURAL FEEDSTOCK.