The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Repurposing Plastics Using Novel Engineered Processes 

The Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) consortium is developing new chemical upcycling strategies for today’s plastics and redesigning tomorrow’s plastics to be recyclable-by-design. BOTTLE conducts high-impact research and development to deliver scalable technologies that enable cost-effective recycling, upcycling, and increased energy efficiency for plastics. Under the BOTTLE research framework, the consortium is working to deconstruct waste plastics with catalysis and use chemical and biological transformations to upcycle the resulting intermediates to produce recyclable by design polymers. In this project, the team investigated Hybrid Approach to Repurpose Plastics Using Novel Engineered Processes. HARNESS strives to develop a proof-of-concept pilot system designed to break down polyether-polyurethane (PE-PU) foams with engineered enzymes, then convert breakdown intermediates to high-value polyols (POs) and diamines. Kate H. Kucharzyk and Jacob Lillyof Battelle Memorial Institute led the team that created this presentation on project progress and milestones ahead, for DOE Project Peer Review.