Project Grant DEAR0002123
- Federal Grant Award Summary The Washington University received a $637,558 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemistry under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) beginning September 1, 2025, and concluding August 31, 2028. This collaborative research initiative, titled "AI-Driven Design of Architecturally Varied and Deconstructable Polymers for a Comprehensive Circular Plastics Economy," develops physics-informed artificial...
- The University of Delaware received a $2.6 million Cooperative Agreement award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E, CFDA 81.135) on September 30, 2025, to develop novel electrothermochemical processing technology for polyolefin recycling. Under this three-year project concluding September 29, 2028, the university will conduct research and development to convert single-use plastics into reusable components through an electrified heating process that operates at low...
- The University of Washington received a $500,000 Project Grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), CFDA Program 81.135, to develop an adaptive catalytic reactor that can store intermittent green hydrogen using plastic waste. The proposed technology aims to address two global challenges: the need for long-term storage of intermittent renewable energy, and management of plastic waste. By utilizing plastic waste as a carbon source, the technology will produce liquid...
- The University of Wisconsin-Madison received a $500,000 Project Grant award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), under the IGNITE program (CFDA 81.135), to study, develop, and characterize an innovative solid-state electrochemical membrane reactor for high-temperature electrochemical hydrogenative depolymerization of waste plastics, with a focus on polyolefins and high glass transition temperature polymers. The project, led by Dr. Luca Mastropasqua in the Hydrogen and...
- 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...
- Federal Project Grant Award Summary This collaborative research project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemistry under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), was awarded $1.25M on September 1, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2028. Led by Professors Linda Broadbelt of Northwestern University and Eugene Chen of Colorado State University, the project delivers data-driven design methodologies and open-source software tools for...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The Washington University received a $466,359 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Materials Research under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), awarded September 1, 2025, with completion scheduled for August 31, 2028. The research project focuses on developing hierarchically porous and dynamic hydrogen-bonded crosslinked organic frameworks—advanced carbon-based crystalline materials that address critical...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems awarded $500,000 to the University of Kansas Center for Research Inc. under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) through a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant, effective June 1, 2026, with a completion date of May 31, 2031. The project will deliver research and development services focused on investigating how subcritical and supercritical...
- This $204,819 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (CFDA 47.083 Integrative Activities program) aims to study how tunable media, such as supercritical CO2, can improve the catalytic conversion of waste polyolefin plastics into valuable hydrocarbon fuels. The University of Kansas Center for Research Inc., in collaboration with researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, will use advanced in situ/operando spectroscopy techniques like nuclear magnetic...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, received a $253,589 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), effective August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2028. This collaborative research project delivers fundamental scientific understanding and advanced material development for converting greenhouse gases into valuable chemical products...
The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), under CFDA 81.135, awarded The Washington University in St. Louis $499,999 on March 26, 2026, to develop an innovative upcycling process for postconsumer polyolefin (PO) waste. The project, which runs through March 25, 2028, focuses on integrating multiple technical developments into a single, industrially scalable process that introduces dynamic bonds into recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), and polypropylene (PP) polymer backbones during repolymerization. This innovation strengthens the amorphous phase through enhanced interchain interactions, enabling the conversion of existing postconsumer PO waste into mechanically recyclable plastic while maintaining cost competitiveness with virgin plastics ($1.2/kg versus $1.0/kg for virgin production). The grant supports research with significant environmental implications, targeting the elimination of approximately 50% of global plastic waste derived from polyolefins and reducing associated carbon dioxide emissions by 75% (approximately 270 million metric tons annually) compared to virgin plastic production. The project addresses the critical challenge that currently less than 10% of global plastic waste is recycled, with the remainder directed to landfills, incineration, or environmental litter. By achieving these outcomes without reducing current plastic consumption levels, the research represents a transformative approach to plastic waste management aligned with ARPA-E's mission to advance high-impact energy and materials technologies.Federal Grant Award Summary
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $500.0k | 3/26/26 |