Austria accelerates recycling efforts to meet EU circular economy goals
Plastic waste is a critical issue for Austria as the country works to align with the European Union’s ambitious recycling targets. By 2025, EU member states are required to r
Enzymatic polymerization of sustainable polymers using biobased solvents
Driven by the need for sustainable alternatives to fossil-based polymers, this research explores enzymatic polymerization using biobased solvents. By employing enzymes and eco-frie
Polyester biodegradability: importance and potential for optimisation
The existing polyolefin plastics are not adequately suited for closed-loop recycling; however, biodegradable plastics may prove an effective solution to the accumulation of plastic
Global Plastics Industry
The global plastics industry, based on economic indicators, has revealed a massive market size of 400 billion euros [1]. To create this great potential, tons of plastic raw materia
Catalytic hydrocracking and hydrogenolysis of PE into alkanes
Hydrogenolysis and hydrocracking [1] are attractive polymer upcycling methods to produce low molecular weight liquid hydrocarbons with narrow molecular weight distributions under r
Engineered yeast converts waste plastic pyrolysis oil into valuable α,ω-diacids with high efficiency
The accumulation of plastic waste is a significant environmental issue, with traditional disposal methods posing health and ecological risks. The study by Yeo et al., published in
Proving Sustainability: The Crucial Role of Life Cycle Assessment for our Upcycling Innovations
The ACTPAC project aims to convert polyethylene (PE) (fossil-based) into bio-based polyesters. Innovations on new biobased catalytic routes in ACTPAC will establish the most profit
ACTPAC at IFAT Munich 2024: From exploring the plastic recycling industry to unveiling the exploitation potential of ACTPAC results
IFAT Munich 2024, the world’s leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste, and raw materials management, concluded with remarkable achievements. Approximately 142,000 visitor
Novel biobased furanic-aliphatic polyesters that are biodegradable and have tunable properties
The negative consequences of fossil raw materials are becoming more visible today, with examples including extreme weather and plastic waste pollution in the environment. Commodity
Metabolic engineering of microbial strains for production of long-chain diols and diacids
ACTPAC is a highly innovative and promising project which aims at the bio-chemical conversion of polyethylene (PE) (petroleum-based plastic) into bio-based polyesters (bio-based pl