PEF made from CO2 and inedible plant material

15 March 2016

Stanford scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide (CO2) and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste. The researchers focused on polyethylene furandicarboxylate (PEF), a promising alternative to PET. PEF is made from ethylene glycol and a compound called 2-5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA).
Instead of using sugar from corn to make FDCA, the researchers used furfural, a compound made from agricultural waste. Making FDCA from furfural and CO2 typically requires hazardous chemicals. They solved the problem using a far more benign compound: carbonate. An article about the research is published in Nature (News Item Stanford University, 9 March 2016).
Click here for the news item.
Click here for an abstract of the published article.

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