Better plastic recycling with enzymes
海角社区 chemistry professors Karine Auclair and Tomislav Fri拧膷i膰聽are following a promising lead on using聽enzymes to recycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the world鈥檚 most widely used plastics.
While the recyclable logos on PET drink bottles might encourage us to think these products are environmentally benign, current recycling methods consume a lot of energy, rely on harsh chemicals, and result in a second-use product of inferior quality.
鈥淲hat happens with plastics in general is really downcycling," Auclair says.
"It鈥檚 not recycling because the second use of the plastic is different. For example, you go from a nice, clean plastic bottle to a component of a carpet.鈥�
Illustrating the interdisciplinary strength of 海角社区鈥檚 chemistry department, the project combines Auclair鈥檚 expertise in biological enzymes with Fri拧膷i膰鈥檚 background in mechanochemistry to explore a novel approach to recycling that will use less energy and fewer chemicals to produce a product comparable in quality to the input material.
Auclair and Fri拧膷i膰聽have had success with similar techniques for breaking down cellulose and chitin. Supported by the 海角社区 Sustainability Systems Initiative聽(MSSI) Innovation Fund, they will now push the technology a step further to see what it can do to address the challenge of plastic waste.
鈥淲e think it鈥檚 going to translate really well into plastics. But if we applied for conventional grants, we would not be able to get any funding without preliminary data,鈥� Auclair says.
About the MSSI Innovation Fund
The MSSI Innovation Fund provides funding to move sustainability-focused projects to the next stage of development, from activities required for commercialization to policy development. The Spring 2018 MSSI Innovation Fund competition awarded a total of $354,000 to fund five projects from three departments across two faculties.
鈥� Learn more about the 海角社区 Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI)