Science

25.07.2023

A unique catalyst paves the way for plastic upcycling

Source: rawf8 25.07.2022 A recently developed catalyst for breaking down plastics continues to advance plastic upcycling processes. In 2020, a team of researchers led by Ames Laboratory scientists developed the first processive inorganic catalyst to deconstruct polyolefin plastics into molecules that can be used to create more valuable products. Now, the team has developed and validated a strategy to speed up the transformation without sacrificing desirable products Visual of two variations of the catalyst, with a segment of the shell removed to show the interior. The white sphere represents the silica shell, the holes are the pores. Source: Image courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy The catalyst was originally designed by Wenyu Huang, a scientist at Ames Lab. It consists of platinum particles supported on a solid silica core and surrounded by a silica shell with uniform pores that provide access to catalytic sites. The overall amount of platinum needed is quite small, which is important because of platinum's high cost and limited supply. During deconstruction experiments, the long polymer chains thread into the pores and contact the catalytic sites, and then the chains are broken into smaller sized pieces that are no longer plastic material. Aaron Sadow, a scientist at Ames Lab and director of the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP), explained that the team crafted three variations of the catalyst. Each variation had identically sized cores and porous shells, but different diameters of platinum particles, from 1.7 to 2.9 to 5.0 nm. The team hypothesized that the differences in platinum particle size would affect the lengths of the product chains, so large platinum particles would make longer chains and small ones would make shorter chains. However, the group discovered that the lengths of the product chains were the same size for all three catalysts. "In the literature, the selectivity for carbon-carbon bond cleavage reactions usually varies with the size of the platinum nanoparticles. By placing platinum at the bottom of the pores, we saw something quite unique," said Sadow. Instead, the rate at which the chains were broken into smaller molecules was different for the three catalysts. The larger platinum particles reacted with the long polymer chain more slowly while the smaller ones reacted more quickly. This increased rate could result from the higher percentage of edge and corner platinum sites on the surfaces of the smaller nanoparticles. These sites are more active in cleaving the polymer chain than the platinum located in the faces of the particles. According to Sadow, the results are important because they show that activity can be adjusted independently from the selectivity in these reactions. "Now, we are confident that we can make a more active catalyst that would chew up the polymer even faster, while using catalyst structural parameters to dial in specific product chain lengths," he said. Huang explained that this type of larger molecule reactivity in porous catalysts in general are not widely studied. So, the research is important for understanding the fundamental science as well as how it performs for upcycling plastics. "We really need to further understand the system because we're still learning new things every day. We are exploring other parameters that we can tune to further increase the production rate and shift the product distribution,” said Huang. “So there are a lot of new things in our list waiting for us to discover." Quelle Ames Laboratory More Science

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25.07.2023

Fraunhofer UMSICHT at K 2025: Sustainable Plastics Innovations for the Circular Economy

From apple pomace films to bio-based flame retardants and conductive polymers – researchers will showcase resource-saving solutions for industry Fraunhofer UMSICHT will be presenting new plastic solutions at K 2025, including conductive polymers for hydrogen technologies. The bipolar plates on display enable compact, seal-free stack designs in fuel cells and electrolysers. Copyright: Fraunhofer UMSICHT 22.08.2025 Fraunhofer UMSICHT presents innovative, sustainable plastics solutions at K 2025 in Düsseldorf. Highlights include biodegradable films from fruit residues, bio-based flame retardants for electronics, and conductive polymer films for hydrogen and heating applications – paving the way for a circular plastics economy. "A Matter of Fruit" shows how apple pomace from juice production can be processed into biodegradable films – for packaging, interior design, or as a leather substitute. Copyright: Verena Brom Biodegradable Films from Fruit Residues With the exhibit "A Matter of Fruit" , Fraunhofer UMSICHT and designer Verena Brom present a joint development: apple pomace from juice production is used to create biodegradable film with leather-like characteristics. The foundational concept and film development come from Verena Brom, who initiated the project and co-founded the start-up A Matter of Fruit . In a Fraunhofer-funded collaboration, her expertise in transforming apple pomace into films was combined with Fraunhofer UMSICHT's know-how in continuous plastics processing, enabling the concept to be further developed with a view towards industrial scalability . The researchers at Fraunhofer UMSICHT are developing bio-based flame retardants based on phytic acid – an environmentally friendly alternative to halogenated compounds for plastics. Copyright: Fraunhofer UMSICHT Bio-Based Flame Retardants for Plastic Components Flame retardants are essential in electronics and textiles, but many conventional ones are ecologically harmful. The project " Bio-Phy-FR" introduces a phytic acid-based alternative : a bio-based, environmentally friendly flame retardant for use in the plastics and textile industries . In the project " Humic mulch" , UMSICHT researchers developed a biodegradable mulch film enriched with humic substances . These films enhance vegetable growth, reduce water evaporation, and disintegrate into the soil along with the nutrients at the end of the season – boosting both sustainability and yield . Conductive Polymer Films for Hydrogen Technologies Researchers at Fraunhofer UMSICHT developed ultra-thin composite bipolar plates for fuel cells and electrolysers using a patented powder-to-roll process . These thermoplastic-based materials allow for seal-free stacks , reducing assembly complexity, material waste and costs . Heat-Shrinkable and Flexible Heating Elements In the "Power2Heat Compounds" project, UMSICHT developed surface heating films with tunable rigidity – ideal for diverse heating applications . Another highlight: heatable heat-shrink tubing , a safe, compact solution for pipe trace heating in the food and process industries . Visit Fraunhofer UMSICHT at K 2025 in Hall 7, Stand C05! Source Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT At a glance Fraunhofer UMSICHT will be showcasing innovative plastics solutions for a sustainable industry at K 2025: from biodegradable apple pomace films and bio-based flame retardants to conductive polymer sheets for hydrogen applications. The focus will be on circular economy, material efficiency, and industry-oriented implementation. More around Science

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25.07.2023

Enzyme-Powered Recycling: Transforming Bioplastics into a Sustainable Future

King's College London's Breakthrough in Fast-Tracking Bioplastic Degradation Scientists at King's College London have developed an innovative solution for recycling single-use bioplastics, which are often used in disposable items such as coffee cups and food containers. Copyright: peus80 11.03.2024 Scientists at King's College London have unveiled a novel chemical recycling method, leveraging enzymes found in laundry detergents, to break down single-use bioplastics in record time. Published in Cell Reports Physical Sciences , this innovative approach promises a more sustainable cycle for plastics, traditionally seen as a challenge due to their long degradation period. Efficient Degradation Process Unveiled The team at King's College London has pioneered the use of enzymes, typically employed in biological laundry detergents, to achieve rapid decomposition of bioplastic polylactic acid (PLA) within 24 hours. This process, 84 times faster than traditional composting methods, signals a leap towards addressing the urgent need for effective plastic recycling solutions. Dr. Alex Brogan, Lecturer in Chemistry at King's, emphasizes the potential: "Being able to harness biology to deliver sustainable solutions through chemistry, allows us to start thinking of waste as a resource." Towards a Circular Economy Copyright: King's College London With over 68 million tons of plastic ending up in natural environments in 2023 alone, the need for innovative recycling methods has never been more critical. Bioplastics, derived from renewable sources, present a sustainable alternative but face challenges in production cost and recycling efficiency. The research at King's College not only offers a solution to these challenges but also presents a pathway to reducing reliance on fossil-based plastics. This method’s efficiency could revolutionize how we approach single-use bioplastics, offering a scalable and sustainable model for their recycling. The conversion of bioplastics back into monomers for high-quality plastic production aligns with the vision of a circular economy, reducing landfill waste and environmental pollution. Susana Meza Huaman, PhD researcher, highlights the significance: "Our research marks the first step in developing new technologies in waste management for recycling bioplastics that are of equal quality to the virgin product." Exhibitors & products around recycling Recycling plants Separating and sorting systems for waste Size reduction equipment (crushers, shredders, grinders) Compounding lines Recyclates Expanding the Research Scope Encouraged by these results, the scientists are now exploring the recycling of other mass-produced plastics, aiming to extend their method’s applicability and further contribute to sustainable waste management practices. King's College London's research into enzyme-based recycling represents a promising development in the fight against plastic waste, offering a faster, more efficient route to recycling bioplastics and fostering a sustainable, circular economy. Source King's College London More around Science

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25.07.2023

Chemists redesign biological PHAs, 'dream' biodegradable plastics

Copyright: Kajan81 11.05.2023 They've been called "dream" plastics: polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHAs. Already the basis of a fledgling industry, they're a class of polymers naturally created by living microorganisms, or synthetically produced from biorenewable feedstocks. They're biodegradable in the ambient environment, including oceans and soil. But there's a reason PHAs haven't taken off as a sustainable, environmentally benign alternative to traditional plastics. Crystalline PHAs are brittle, so not as durable and convenient as conventional plastics. They cannot easily be melt-processed and recycled, making them expensive to produce. Colorado State University polymer chemists led by Eugene Chen, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry, have created a synthetic PHA platform that addresses each of these problems, paving the way for a future in which PHAs can take off in the marketplace as truly sustainable plastics. Chen and colleagues report a new class of redesigned PHAs, readily accessible via chemical catalysis, in the journal Science. The redesigned PHA in as-synthesized powder form (left), melt-processed and molded into test specimens (middle), and mechanically tested for toughness (right). Source: Colorado State University The researchers had been searching for a strategy to address the intrinsic thermal instability of conventional PHAs; their lack of heat resistance also makes it difficult to melt-process them into end products. The CSU chemists made fundamental changes to the structures of these plastics, substituting reactive hydrogen atoms responsible for thermal degradation with more robust methyl groups. This structural modification drastically enhances the PHAs' thermal stability, resulting in plastics that can be melt-processed without decomposition. What's more, these newly designed PHAs are mechanically tough, even outperforming the two most common commodity plastics: high-density polyethylene – used in products like milk and shampoo bottles – and isotactic propylene, which is used to make automotive parts and synthetic fibers. The best part is that the new PHA can be chemically recycled back to its building-block molecule, called a monomer, with a simple catalyst and heat, and the recovered clean monomer can be reused to reproduce the same PHA again – in principle, infinitely. "We are adding three key desired features to the biological PHAs, including closed-loop chemical recycling, which is essential for achieving a circular PHA economy," Chen said. The work was supported by the Department of Energy's BOTTLE Consortium. Source Colorado State University More Science

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25.07.2023

Asahi Kasei and Mitsui establish supply and procurement system for bio-methanol

Copyright: wirestock 03.08.2023 Asahi Kasei Corp. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koshiro Kudo; hereinafter referred to as "Asahi Kasei") and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Osamu Hashimoto; hereinafter referred to as "Mitsui") will establish a supply and procurement system for bio-methanol produced in the United States. Through this system, Asahi Kasei plans to use the bio-methanol procured from Mitsui to produce engineering plastics in Japan with a lower carbon footprint than the current product lineup. Background Today, companies are increasingly working to reduce GHG emissions throughout their product supply chains, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from raw materials, known as Scope 3, in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, as advocated by the Japanese government. Asahi Kasei is working to reduce GHG emissions by manufacturing products using biomass-based materials with low GHG emissions in various engineering plastics such as Tenac™ polyacetal (POM) resin. In this context, Asahi Kasei and Mitsui have worked together to find solutions to these issues. Content of the initiative Source: Asahi Kasei Corporation Source: Asahi Kasei Corporation In the United States, Mitsui procures RNG (renewable natural gas) generated from municipal waste landfills in the form of biogas, and uses it in the mass-balance approach 2 to produce bio-methanol at Fairway Methanol, a local joint venture. Asahi Kasei and Mitsui have acquired the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS certification) in their supply chains in order to reliably convey their sustainability features to final products. This will enable Asahi Kasei to procure bio-methanol manufactured by Mitsui, and to sell various types of engineering plastics made with this raw material allocated using the mass-balance approach. Future outlook The Asahi Kasei Group aims to contribute to a carbon-neutral and sustainable world from the perspective of “Care for Earth” by focusing on initiatives such as the use of biomass raw materials, recycled raw materials, and renewable energy. The company strives to meet the expectations of its customers and society by further advancing the provision of products and services with such sustainable characteristics while deepening collaboration with other companies based on its medium-term management plan for fiscal 2024 focused on the theme "Be a Trailblazer." Mitsui is striving to reduce the Scope 3 GHG emissions of its customers using the expertise, knowledge, and products of a variety of businesses, including the provision of low-carbon methanol such as bio-methanol, and to contribute to the sustainable development of all society. Source Asahi Kasei Corporation More Science

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25.07.2023

Shining light on why plastics turn yellow

Insights could help researchers design plastic products that last longer before becoming unsightly or unusable Source: leungchopan 21.10.2022 If you own a retro gaming console or have an old roll of packing tape, you've seen how plastics turn yellow as they age. Though the cause of this color change has long been attributed to the formation of molecules that act as dyes — the actual chemical changes that take place remained unexplained. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials have identified surface-based chiral nanostructures as the potential culprit. Understanding how and why polymers degrade with age is key to designing alternatives that can avoid these pathways, allowing plastic products to have a longer lifespan. For one of the most commonly used plastics, polyethylene, it’s long been suggested that ultraviolet (UV) light – the same light that gives us sunburns – initiates reactions in the backbone of the polymer’s structure that cause the yellow color change. The research findings could help researchers develop plastic products that last longer and don't turn yellow as quickly. Source: Unsplah However, though chemical changes to polyethylene's polymeric backbone have been observed after exposure to UV light, those new structures cannot account for polyethylene’s yellowing. One emerging way to intentionally modify the color and the ways that plastics interact with light is to create nano-sized "supramolecular" structures on their surfaces that impact plastics' properties in a controllable way. Inspired by these surface-based technologies, Margaret M. Elmer-Dixon, Melissa A. Maurer-Jones and colleagues wanted to see if such nanostructures formed unintentionally by UV light could be the cause of polyethylene yellowing. The researchers first investigated if potential structures formed on yellowed polyethylene films' surfaces interacted with circularly polarized light, a type of light whose waves travel with a right- or left-handed rotation. The amount of circularly polarized light absorbed by the film in these experiments changed depending on the film's orientation, suggesting that the yellowed plastic contains new chemical structures that are chiral, that is, they are directional and aren't identical to their mirror images. Additional experiments showed that most of the degradation during film yellowing occurred on the surface of the films. The team concluded that chiral chemical structures on the surfaces of the polyethylene films are formed during exposure to UV light and are a potential cause for the yellow color of old plastics. They say that these insights could help researchers design plastic products that last longer before becoming unsightly or unusable. Source American Chemical Society (ACS) More Science

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25.07.2023

Lessons from natural photosynthesis: conversion of CO2 to raw materials for plastic

Technology sequesters CO₂ emissions Source: bilanol 21.10.2022 In plants, natural photosynthesis binds carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to organic compounds, which can then be converted into glucose or starch. These useful molecules can be sequestered, storing the carbon in a solid form. Artificial photosynthesis mimics this process by reducing the greenhouse gas CO 2 – the main cause of climate change – which is converted into other useful substances. Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have managed to create fumarate using artificial photosynthesis on pyruvate and CO 2 . This fumarate can be used to make biodegradable plastic like polybutylene succinate, storing the carbon in a compact, durable, solid form. Currently, most fumarate used to make this plastic is produced from petroleum, so creating fumarate from CO 2 and biomass-derived pyruvate is highly desirable. Exhibitors & products around raw materials & auxiliaries Thermoplastics Thermoplastic elastomers Resins & compounds Foams & intermediates Fillers To all exhibitors in this category Malate dehydrogenase (ME) combines pyruvate and carbon dioxide (CO2) into L-malate, which can be converted into fumarate by fumarase (FUM). Source: Yutaka Amao, OMU Professor Yutaka Amao from the Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis and Mika Takeuchi, a graduate student at the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Science, used the biocatalyst malate dehydrogenase (oxaloacetate-decarboxylating) to combine CO 2 with pyruvate, derived from biomass, to produce L-malic acid. Subsequently, the biocatalyst fumarase was used to dehydrate the L-malic acid to synthesize fumarate. "The biocatalysts were used to convert CO 2 into a raw material for plastic. Based on our results, we will continue to construct better CO 2 conversion systems with an even lower environmental impact; we are aiming for more efficient conversion of CO 2 into useful substances, using light energy," said Prof Amao. With this success, the team has already begun researching new methods of artificial photosynthesis with the goal of producing fumarate using light as energy. If this technology can be realized, it will create a new artificial photosynthetic system to synthesize useful macromolecules from CO 2 . Source Osaka Metropolitan University More Science

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25.07.2023

Superworms capable of munching through plastic waste

The long-term goal is to engineer enzymes to degrade plastic waste Source: ABBPhoto 18.07.2022 Researchers at the University of Queensland have found a species of worm with an appetite for polystyrene could be the key to plastic recycling on a mass scale. The common Zophobas morio 'superworm' can eat through polystyrene. Source: The University of Queensland Scientists discovered the common Zophobas morio 'superworm' can eat through polystyrene, thanks to a bacterial enzyme in their gut. Dr Chris Rinke and his team from UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences fed superworms different diets over a three week period, with some given polystyrene foam, some bran and others put on a fasting diet. "We found the superworms fed a diet of just polystyrene not only survived, but even had marginal weight gains," Dr Rinke said. "This suggests the worms can derive energy from the polystyrene, most likely with the help of their gut microbes." The researchers used a technique called metagenomics to find several encoded enzymes with the ability to degrade polystyrene and styrene. The long-term goal is to engineer enzymes to degrade plastic waste in recycling plants through mechanical shredding, followed by enzymatic biodegradation. "Superworms are like mini recycling plants, shredding the polystyrene with their mouths and then feeding it to the bacteria in their gut," Dr Rinke said. "The breakdown products from this reaction can then be used by other microbes to create high-value compounds such as bioplastics." It's hoped this bio-upcycling will incentivise plastic waste recycling and reduce landfill. Co-author of the research, PhD candidate Jiarui Sun, said they aim to grow the gut bacteria in the lab and further test its ability to degrade polystyrene. "We can then look into how we can upscale this process to a level required for an entire recycling plant," Ms Sun said. Dr Rinke said there are many opportunities for the biodegradation of plastic waste. "Our team is very excited to push the science to make it happen," he said. Quelle University of Queensland More Science

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25.07.2023

Edible, biodegradable, anti-microbial plastic boasts higher tensile strength than petroleum-based plastic

The material is produced from gelatin, clay and a nanoemulsion of black pepper essential oil Source: duskbabe 12.04.2022 Disposal of food packaging is a major cause of environmental pollution worldwide. More than 350 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year, and 85% of the garbage dumped in the oceans is plastic, according to estimates. Brazil is the fourth-largest producer, accounting for some 11 million metric tons per year. To make matters worse, most plastic packaging is derived from non-renewables such as petroleum. Biodegradable packaging would reduce environmental pollution worldwide. Copyright: Unsplash Given all these drawbacks, reducing the use of fossil fuels to produce plastic is the target of a great deal of research around the world. Many scientists are working on the development of biodegradable packaging materials that also prevent contamination by microorganisms and extend shelf life so as to reduce losses. A study conducted by a research team called the Composites and Hybrid Nanocomposites Group (GCNH) at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Ilha Solteira has produced an important contribution to this effort. It was supported by FAPESP, and an article reporting its findings is published in the journal Polymers . The researchers made their bioplastic (or "green plastic", as it is also known) from type B bovine gelatin easily found in retail stores in the form of a colorless powder. "Gelatin was one of the first materials used in the production of biopolymers. It's still widely used owing to its abundance, low cost and excellent film-forming properties," said chemist and materials scientist Márcia Regina de Moura Aouada, a professor at the Ilha Solteira School of Engineering (FEIS-UNESP) and last author of the article. "However, biopolymers for packaging have characteristics that need to be improved in order to be comparable to petroleum products, especially as far as mechanical properties and vapor permeability are concerned, so we added cloisite Na + nanoclay to the gelatin," she explained. Adding nanoclay made the film more homogeneous and increased its tensile strength to 70 megapascals (MPa). Conventional polyethylene packaging has less than half this tensile strength (in the range of 20 MPa-30 MPa). "Besides nanoclay, we also added a nanoemulsion made from black pepper essential oil to give the packaging a more attractive flavor and odor. The mixture also extends the shelf life of food products packaged with the material, thanks to the inclusion of anti-microbial and anti-oxidant components in the polymeric matrix," she said. It is worth noting that the bioplastic in question was originally designed to package beef in the form of hamburgers, which are vulnerable to microbial contamination and have a strong smell, but the principle of adding nanoclay and essential oil nanoemulsion to a gelatin matrix can and will be extended to other foods, varying the type and proportion of essential oil used. "If this kind of packaging becomes widespread in the marketplace, it could significantly reduce the use of plastic made from non-biodegradable polymers and hence the amount of solid waste," Moura Aouada said. "In addition, the bioplastic will better protect packaged food against contamination by pathogens and help reduce losses." The research lines followed at GCNH-UNESP focus on the circular economy, which converts waste into resources. The group's leaders, Fauze Aouada and Márcia Moura Aouada, are professors affiliated with UNESP's Program of Graduate Studies in Materials Science (PPGCM). "Our proposals are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals [ SDGs ] adopted by the United Nations to end poverty, foster the planet's economic sustainability, and ensure that the entire world population can enjoy peace and prosperity," Moura Aouada said. The group also produces wound dressings from bacterial cellulose, and edible packaging containing nanostructures derived from kale purée, cocoa purée, cupuassu ( Theobroma grandiflorum ) purée, camu camu ( Myrciaria dubia ) extract and nanoemulsions, with potential applications in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The research is supported by FAPESP via a Research Regular Grant and also via the Center for Development of Functional Materials (CDMF), a Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) hosted by the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). Source São Paulo State University More Science

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