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 Timko and assistant research professor Alex Maag are 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 initiative addresses 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 and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development through the Massachusetts 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:
• Catalyst Characterization: Utilizing equipment to analyze new and used catalysts and reaction products, providing proof of concept for effective plastic conversion into chemicals.
• Product Characterization: Plastic breaks down into complex mixtures which WPI aims to funnel selectively to chemicals. The characterization equipment this award will purchase will be used to characterize intermediates on their way to useful chemicals.
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.

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