CO2 and inedible plant material for Renewable Plastics.

The problem that now exists is trying to find an affordable way of producing FDCA. One way this can be done is by using corn syrup, a process that requires a lot of land and energy, which in turn would be unsustainable despite investment by businesses like Coca-Cola.

With enough funding and an alternative method of creating PEF other than corn syrup, the sustainable and environmentally friendly plastic may just become a commercial reality. Scientists are working on incorporating furfural in the production chain. Furfal is otherwise known as agricultural waste, and when heated alongside carbon and pressurized CO2 the result is a molten salt that converts into FDCA.

Creating plastic using this method radically cuts the amount of CO2 produced during current plastic production. Furthermore, the techniques developed in the study may open the door to new forms of sustainable fuels. The greatest achievement that may be realised, when it reaches commercial production, is when PEF creates a waste product (CO2) which can be used to create more PEF (as CO2 is used in production and is filtered and used by plants).

These new developments are groundbreaking, to say the least, and may tickle the interests of chemistry students and lecturers worldwide, as well as those closer to home here at VUT. If you’re interested in studying a postgraduate research degree in Chemistry at the Vaal University of Technology then make sure you apply today!

If you want to find out more about research degrees within the Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences, then hit the link.