Using carbon above the ground as feedstock to produce our future polymers
Gert‐Jan M. Gruter
Abstract
This contribution will analyze the main factors that will contribute to lowering the carbon footprint of polymer materials in the next decades, carefully selected from a personal perspective. Specifically, the following aspects will be critically discussed: (i) feedstock and associated atom efficiencies (ii) negative footprints required for getting to net zero, (iii) end-of-life options: reuse, (closed-loop) recycling and biodegradability. Some of the developments that will address these three main factors will be discussed, focusing on glucose and CO2 as feedstock for the production of our future polymers.
Topics & Concepts
Raw materialReuseCarbon footprintClosed loopEnvironmental scienceBiochemical engineeringWaste managementEngineeringGreenhouse gasChemistryEcologyOrganic chemistryControl engineeringBiologyCarbon dioxide utilization in catalysisbiodegradable polymer synthesis and propertiesCatalysis for Biomass Conversion