Project Grant 2132219

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems Project Grant for $331,415, awarded on September 1, 2023, aims to develop a novel biocatalytic process for the deconstruction of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics. The project will explore the use of natural enzymes, such as lipase, to catalyze the alcoholysis of PET in non-aqueous solvents. This approach seeks to improve the efficiency and conversion of plastic waste using...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant, awarded under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), will fund research to develop a novel biocatalytic process for deconstructing and recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics. The $378,682 award to the University of Colorado aims to explore the use of natural enzymes, such as lipases, to break down PET in nonaqueous solvents rather than water, which can improve the efficiency and conversion of plastic waste. The research will...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) has awarded a $463,136 Project Grant to the University of Massachusetts Lowell to explore a hybrid approach to upcycling waste polyethylene (PE) into value-added chemicals. The two-step process involves oxidative catalytic pyrolysis to decompose PE into intermediate products, followed by bioconversion using engineered yeast to produce nylon precursors and other platform chemicals. The research aims to develop an economical...

This five-year, $444,267 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems will support research into developing an alternative approach to plastic conversion based on a catalytic plasma-mediated depolymerization process operating at ambient temperature and in liquid water. Funded under the NSF's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), the grant aims to detail the mechanisms of plasma-assisted depolymerization of plastics...

This $555,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program will support Professor Stephen A. Miller of the University of Florida in converting post-consumer plastic waste and bio-based feedstocks into a novel family of sustainable polymers. The key objectives are to: 1) optimize the depolymerization of polyesters, nylons, and other commodity polymers via aminolysis; 2) optimize the Amide to Ester Polymerization (ATEP) process...

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems provides $270,526 to Clemson University under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to develop controlled fragmentation of polyolefinic materials triggered by microwave irradiation. The university will design materials with properties of conventional polyolefins but capable of controlled deconstruction into macromolecular chain fragments for reuse. Researchers will...

This $510,000 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) aims to develop a practical and scalable approach for the universal compatibilization of polymers, facilitating the recycling of mixed plastic waste. The project, led by the University of California, Irvine, will investigate two innovative compatibilization methods based on dynamic covalent chemistry. The first method will introduce dynamic crosslinks...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator Track M award of $649,990 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) supports the development and commercialization of a family of sustainable bio-based plastics derived from hydroxy fatty acids. Key activities include scaling up monomer synthesis, conducting polymer characterization and recycling assessments, and performing techno-economic and life cycle analyses. RPI is collaborating with Danimer Scientific, a bioplastics...

This $300,000 federal Project Grant award, funded by the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), will support collaborative research between the University of Kansas Center for Research Inc., Northwestern University, Washington University in St. Louis, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The research aims to elucidate the impact of CO2 on the morphology, phase behavior, and deconstruction of poly(ethylene) terephthalate (PET) via acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. The...

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program provides $689,738 to Clemson University from August 2022 through July 2025 to research sustainable recycling methods for agricultural and plastic waste via organosulfur chemistry. Professor Rhett Smith and students will study reaction pathways between elemental sulfur and functional groups in waste plastics like polyethylene terephthalate and polycarbonates, as well as lignin, to facilitate...