![]() It is a colorless liquid and common chemical reagent, derived from a top-12 biomass compound best suited to replace petrochemicals, according to the Department of Energy. ![]() The researchers' starting monomer is a mouthful for being such a small molecule: Gamma-butyrolactone, or GBL. But in the true, chemical sense of "recyclability" – biomolecules that can be synthesized into a useful material, and then completely converted back to the same molecules simply by heating the bulk material – is unheard of. Soda bottles, computer keyboards and millions of other plastics can be repurposed to extend their product lifecycle. They're biodegradable, yes, but they're not truly recyclable – once made, they can't be completely reconstituted into their original monomeric states without forming other, unwanted byproducts.Īnd what about those little numbers on the bottoms of plastic containers? Doesn't that mean "recyclable"? Sort of. Compostable cups, cutlery and packaging in dining halls are made from PLA. There are several biodegradable plastics on the market today, chief among them a starch-based material made from polylactic acid, or PLA. That is, however, only one part of the solution, as biodegradable polymers are not necessarily recyclable, in terms of feedstock recycling." ![]() "The big drive now is to produce biorenewable and biodegradable polymers or plastics. And most of these polymers are not biorenewable," Chen said. "More than 200 pounds of synthetic polymers are consumed per person each year – plastics probably the most in terms of production volume. Chen's lab is focused on making renewable and degradable plastics and other polymers to replace conventional petroleum-based materials. Plastics like polyethylene and polystyrene are king among synthetic polymers, and have come under fire for piling up in landfills. Plastics are the most common type of manmade polymer, which is the chemical term for a long chain of repeating small molecules, or monomers. Their starting feedstock was a biorenewable monomer that textbooks and journal papers had declared non-polymerizable, or could not be bonded into large molecules – polymers – typically required for use as a material. 23, Chen and postdoctoral fellow Miao Hong describe synthesizing a polyester that, when simply reheated for an hour, converts back to its original molecular state, ready for reuse-recyclable, in the purest sense of the word. The innovation is from the lab of Eugene Chen, professor of chemistry and recent recipient of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge award. But Colorado State University chemists have done it: They've made a completely recyclable, biodegradable polymer, paving a potential new road to truly sustainable, petroleum-free plastics. ![]()
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