Winner Bronze De Gouden Noot 2022 - PET bottles from CO2

PET bottles from CO₂ recycling by Mibelle Group

What nature can, man can do as well: making ethanol from CO₂ (carbon dioxide). This PET bottle by Mibelle is made in a Frontend-process doing just that, on the way to achieving industrial scale biobased polymer packaging materials. Plot spoiler: only the ethanol source for the PET is sourced this way, the other molecule needed to synthesise PET is still petrol-based.

With the CO₂ recycling technology of the start-up LanzaTech, CO₂ is converted into ethanol for MEG production, which is used together with PTA to produce PET. LanzaTech has found a way to produce alcohol from this CO₂ via a fermentation process, which is also used for brewing beer, for example. The CO₂ recycling process uses microorganisms that are able to convert the carbon dioxide directly into ethanol. Resultingly, around 30% of the PET bottle is made from this CO₂ ‘recycling’ process.

Registrants: Mibelle Group and LanzaTech

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