Bio-renewable process could help ‘green’ plastic
“Plastics are often derived from petroleum, contributing to reliance on fossil fuels and driving harmful greenhouse gas emissions. To change that, scientists are trying to take the pliable nature of plastic in another direction, developing new and renewable ways of creating plastics from biomass.
Using a plant-derived solvent called GVL (gamma-Valerolactone), University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering James Dumesic and his team have developed an economical and high-yielding way of producing furandicarboxylic acid, or FDCA. One of 12 chemicals the U.S. Department of Energy calls critical to forging a “green” chemical industry, FDCA is a necessary precursor to a renewable plastic called PEF (or polyethylene furanoate) as well as to a number of polyesters and polyurethanes.
The researchers published their findings Jan. 19, 2018 in the journal Science Advances…”
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180121103402.htm
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