In 2015, only 9.1% of the plastic materials generated in the US were recycled while 15.5% was combusted for energy recovery, and 75.4% was sent to the landfill. Plastic recycling can provide economic, energy, and environmental benefits. For example, recycling plastic wastes to make similar products rather than producing them from virgin feedstocks (e.g., petroleum) can save energy.  Instead of mechanical recycling, which involving shredding, melting, and remolding of polymer material to create similar products, there is an opportunity for upcycling of polymers, i.e., the process of selectively converting waste materials into products with greater value. However, advances in plastic upcycling will require the development of new catalyst and chemical processes to deconstruct polymeric materials into targeted molecular intermediates and products. This presentation will discuss the results of a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences Roundtable on Chemical Upcycling of Polymers.  The goal of the Roundtable is to assess the fundamental challenges that would enable transformation of discarded plastics to higher value fuels, chemicals, or materials and to identify priority research opportunities in which fundamental research over the next 5-10 years could result in a significant impact on chemical upcycling of polymers.

Research opportunities in chemical upcycling of polymers

2019 Fall National Meeting

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