An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Waterloo's Faculties of Engineering and Science have received $2.5 million in federal funding to develop new ways to convert waste materials into valuable commodities.
Led by Dr. Christian Euler, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, the team is reimagining how plastics, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and agricultural residues can be transformed into biodegradable bioplastics or useful chemical products.
The accumulation of pollution from plastic waste, CO2, methane, other gases and biogenic waste is adversely affecting the planet's health and requires intervention.
Through this research, plastic waste could be recycled into products that are more valuable than the original material. Turning pollution into a source of revenue provides a strong financial motive for companies to get on board.
“Our lives are based on oil and even if climate change were not a problem, that oil will run out,” said Euler. “We need to establish ways to circularize the stuff we use every day to keep material in a closed loop. Projects like this one will be critical to establishing a circular economy in the decades to come.”
The funding was awarded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) as part of the National Science Foundation Global Centers initiative. Waterloo researchers are part of the Center for Innovative Recycling and Circular Economy (CIRCLE).
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