07/11/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/11/2024 14:38
Representatives of the 13 schools, organizations and companies awarded funding to support sustainable alternatives to traditional manufacturing.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has been awarded $331,592 in state funding to help develop a groundbreaking process for converting mixed plastic waste into valuable chemicals. This innovative approach aims to make the process more efficient and cost-effective, ultimately reducing plastic waste and its environmental impact.
Chemical engineering professor Michael Timkoand assistant research professor Alex Maagare leading the WPI effort to create a versatile and scalable process using modular reactors that can convert mixed plastic waste and films into important chemicals. This initiativeaddresses the critical issue of plastic waste, with nearly 80% of all plastic currently ending up in landfills. The global plastic industry, valued at $593 billion, is predominantly made up of single-use plastics, contributing 3.7% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions.
WPI's project is one of several being supported by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) through the Mass. Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) program announced today at an event in Holyoke.
The M2I2 funding will allow WPI to purchase equipment for its hydrothermal catalytic conversion of plastics, which includes the following:
This project aligns with the Department of Energy's objectives for advanced chemical manufacturing and is submitted to the Manufacturing USA Institute REMADE, which focuses on sustainable manufacturing practices.
This work is another example of WPI's vast research portfolio advancing technologies that recover, recycle, and reuse materials throughout the manufacturing process. Read more.