One solution is to make bioplastic from renewable plant sources, because it has all the qualities of plastic and is in addition biodegradable. In the US, chemists at Rutgers University have developed a new technique using electrocatalysts containing nickel and phosphorus to combine water and carbon dioxide with electricity to produce complex carbon-containing molecules that can be used to produce plastics and other products such as pharmaceuticals. Using just the oil from orange peel and CO2, researchers at Cornell University have found a way to make a high quality, versatile plastic in an environmentally friendly way. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Thats the most exciting new application that were working on now, he said. It will be interesting to watch RenewCO2 scale up the technology and bring it to market. Researchers say the new technology could provide a low-carbon alternative to plastic bottles and other items currently made from petroleum. PEF is made from ethylene glycol and a compound called 2-5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Then you can easily calculate the carbon dioxide emitted by your own usage of plastic bags. Since carbon dioxide has been identified as a major cause of global warming, the ability to make plastics while reducing carbon dioxide is a perfect example of sustainability with minimal material replacement. Scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide (CO2) and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. If you could do that without using a lot of non-renewable energy, you could dramatically lower the carbon footprint of the plastics industry.. PEF is an attractive replacement for PET, because FDCA can be sourced from biomass instead of petroleum, Kanan said. The Dutch firm Avantium has been developing that technology in partnership with Coca-Cola and other companies. Sugar and carbon dioxide are the main ingredients of the new biodegradable plastic (Credit: fcafotodigital) The new BPA-free plastic could potentially replace current polycarbonates in items such as baby bottles and food containers, and since the plastic is bio-compatible, it could also be used for medical implants or as scaffolds for growing tissues or organs for transplant. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. For more information on why we launched it,read our blog introduction. Using fructose is problematic, because fructose production has a substantial carbon footprint, and, ultimately, youll be competing with food production, Kanan says. One approach is to convert fructose from corn syrup into FDCA. This equates to 57 "average-sized" coal-fired power plants. "We are at this stage that we've developed the process to make the material," saidBuchard. Instead of using sugar from corn to make FDCA, the team has been experimenting with furfural, a compound made from agricultural waste that has been widely used for decades. AntoineBuchard, co-author of astudythatappearsin the journal Polymer Chemistry, says scientists play a key role in finding better ways to dispose of materials that can harm the environment. Those methods, however, were too costly and inefficient to make sense on a commercial scale. Kanan and colleagues have also begun to apply their new chemistry to the production of renewable fuels and other compounds from hydrogen and CO2. But making FDCA from furfural and CO2 typically requires hazardous chemicals that are expensive and energy-intensive to make. Microplastics found in supermarket fish, shellfish, Oceans Day campaign raises awareness of large amount of plastic in world's oceans, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Your Blood Type May Affect Your Risk of an Early Stroke, Research Reveals, Study Shows How The Universe Would Look if You Broke The Speed of Light, And It's Weird, A Single Hormone in Men May Predict Their Future Health. Researchers from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom have created biodegradable plastic that could one day replace oil-based plastics, which take centuries to break down. After five hours, 89 percent of the molten-salt mixture had been converted to FDCA. Researchers say the new . She then heated the mixture to about 290 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) to form a molten salt. "We need to have science and technology to sustain our modern way of living.". This is just the first step. These grants support early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as leaders in integrating education and research. CO2 as resource: How greenhouse gas becomes plastic Reading time: 4 min Mother Nature has shown us how it works: In the same way plants take CO2 from the atmosphere and use it for growth, people can also draw on CO2 as a resource. To receive Stanford news daily, You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. Matt Kanan, Chemistry: (650) 725-3451, mkanan@stanford.edu That really defeats the purpose of what were trying to do, Kanan says. Based on their work, the researchers have earned patents for the electrocatalysts and formed RenewCO, a start-up company. About 400,000 tons are produced annually for use in resins, solvents and other products. Two of the products that the researchers created, 2,3-furandiol (C4) and methylglyoxal (C3), can serve as precursors for pharmaceuticals, plastics and adhesives. These building blocks contain between one and four carbon atoms. Reducing CO2 to methane or similar hydrocarbons requires about the same level of energy so now we are up to about 4x the energy used as the gas that produced it. If you could do that without using a lot of non-renewable energy, you could dramatically lower the carbon footprint of the plastics industry.. Read More. There are numerous possible uses for the discovery by Rutgers scientists. First, he argues, cap the oil wells. This breakthrough could reduce the carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming while also turning it into raw materials as well as valuable products for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. For the Nature study, he and his collaborators focused on a promising alternative to PET called polyethylene furandicarboxylate (PEF). Before this discovery by Rutgers scientists, other studies had shown that it was possible to convert carbon dioxide electrochemically into ethanol, ethylene, methane and methanol, all with fairly high yields. Read the original article. That really defeats the purpose of what were trying to do, Kanan said. Worldwide, about 50 million tons of PET are produced each year for items such as fabrics, electronics, recyclable beverage containers, and personal-care products. The This led the team to go back to the drawing board. Summary: Scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses . Their first product, Ooho, makes you rethink water on the go. PEF is made from ethylene glycol and a compound called 2-5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). He is also a principal investigator at Rutgers' Waksman Institute of Microbiology. Manufacturing PET produces significant amounts of CO2, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. The scientists behind the discovery earned patents for their electrocatalysts, and they founded the startup RenewCO2 to supply the chemical industry with innovative technologies for sustainable monomer production from CO and develop highly scalable production modules based on their proprietary catalyst design. As a consequence of the negative emissions achieved by the sequestration of bio-based plastics in products and landfills, the 2 C scenario could substantially reduce the plastics sector's CO 2. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. PET is made from two components, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, which are derived from refined petroleum and natural gas. Scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide (CO2) and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. The results were dramatic. Graduate student Aanindeeta Banerjee, lead author of the Nature study, combined carbonate with CO2 and furoic acid, a derivative of furfural. The bottleneck has been figuring out a commercially viable way to produce FDCA sustainably. Massachusetts-based Novomer has received $18.4 million from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a process for converting carbon dioxide into polycarbonate polymers that could be . The approach has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse emissions, Kanan says, because the CO2 required to make PEF could be obtained from fossil-fuel power plant emissions or other industrial sites. (Karin Calvinho/Rutgers University-New Brunswick). Kanan and colleagues have also begun to apply their new chemistry to the production of renewable fuels and other compounds from hydrogen and CO2. In addition, in his doctoral thesis another VTT researcher, Martti Alkio, made use of so-called . To make the material, waste plastic is turned into powder, mixed with potassium acetate and heated at 600 C (1,112 F) for 45 minutes to optimize the pores, most of which are about 0.7 nanometers . Join our list today! Stanford scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide (CO 2) and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. Products made of PEF can also be recycled or converted back to atmospheric CO2 by incineration. The world's first successful large-scale production of a polypropylene carbonate (PPC) polymer using waste carbon dioxide (CO 2) as a key raw material has resulted from a projected funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy. Using fructose is problematic, because fructose production has a substantial carbon footprint, and, ultimately, youll be competing with food production, Kanan said. The center, also known as CIEL, has gathered global data on how much climate-warming greenhouse gas is produced in making all that plastic, from cradle to grave. The next step is to learn more about the underlying chemical reaction, so it can be used to produce other valuable products such as diols, which are widely used in the polymer industry, or hydrocarbons that can be used as renewable fuels. Researchers Just Found a Way to Turn CO2 Into Plastic With Unprecedented Efficiency Environment 23 November 2018 By Rutgers University (Sner/iStock) Researchers have developed catalysts that can convert carbon dioxidethe main cause of global warminginto plastics, fabrics, resins, and other products. Newswise Stanford scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide (CO2) and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. DOI: 10.1038/531180a. PEF is an attractive replacement for PET, because FDCA can be sourced from biomass instead of petroleum, Kanan says. The payoff: 2 Strategy2: Turn off your computer When in standby mode, your PC is still using energy 3 The payoff: Turning off a monitor for 40 hours a week may only save $ 5 a month, but it reduces CO2 by 750 pounds Strategy 3: Reuse plastic bags Instead of throwing away 100 billion plastic bags a year, try and get a second, third, or tenth . PEF is also superior to PET at sealing out oxygen, which is useful for bottling applications.. Chemistry graduate student Aanindeeta Banerjee and Assistant Professor Matthew Kanan have developed a novel way to make renewable plastic from carbon dioxide and ordinary plants (Image credit: Mark Shwartz/Precourt Institute for Energy). Now you might say- whoa, bioplastic is more expensive. It would be much better to make FDCA from inedible biomass, like grasses or waste material left over after harvest.. Novomer's thermoplastic pellets incorporate waste CO2 into a variety of consumer products. Researchers from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom have moved a step closer in trying to make that a reality, by creating plastic out of carbon dioxide (CO2) and sugar natural sources that can takeweeks to break down,instead of the hundreds of years it takes for today's common synthetic plastics to degrade. The use of fossil-fuel feedstocks, combined with the energy required to manufacture PET, generates more than four tons of CO2 for every ton of PET thats produced, Kanan said. Despite the many desirable attributes of PEF, the plastics industry has yet to find a low-cost way to manufacture it at scale. Worldwide, about 50 million tons of PET are produced each year for items such as fabrics, electronics, recyclable beverage containers and personal-care products. Compressing CO2 into liquid requires about twice the energy as the gas that produced it can provide Step 2. The Stanford team solved the problem using a far more benign compound: carbonate. Additionally, these precursors could offer a material replacement to petroleum when it comes to creating plastics. "What we're looking at right now is, make more of it, testit mechanically, look at durability, toughness to impact.". The idea behind Ooho "Basically we've done two things: we've developed a method that makes this building block, but we've also shown that this building block, this monomer, we canpolymerizeit and transfer it into a plastic.". subscribe to Stanford Report. Today, there are products made of 20 to over 40 percent CO 2. The researchers are designing, building, and testing electrolyzers for commercial use. The industry overall produces 232 million tons of CO2e gas emissions annually, the equivalent of 116 coal-fired power plants, according . For instance, tosylchoride is anorganic compound that's commonly used in laboratories and is relatively inexpensive, but it's not perfect because it's afossil fuel resource that countries are trying to move away from for environmental reasons. The carbon footprint of plastic (LDPE or PET, poyethylene) is about 6 kg CO2 per kg of plastic. The other Stanford coauthors of the Nature study are graduate student Graham Dick and former postdoctoral scholar Tatsuhiko Yoshino, now at Hokkaido University in Japan. Allison Stroud is the managing editor of the Innovation, Inspiration & Ideas blog. Part 1 Making CO2 At Home Download Article 1 Get a 2-liter plastic bottle. He was intrigued by their ability to release energy when making carbon building blocks from CO2, a reaction that usually requires energy. (Image credit: Mark Shwartz/Precourt Institute for Energy), The many makerspaces of the Stanford campus, Nine Stanford faculty receive NSF CAREER Award, Stanford scholar applies a Norwegian mindset about winter to a COVID-19 world. For the Nature study, he and his collaborators focused on a promising alternative to PET called polyethylene furandicarboxylate (PEF). Kanan and his Stanford colleagues described their results in the March 9 online edition of the journal Nature. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The next step, transforming FDCA into PEF plastic, is a straightforward process that has been worked out by other researchers, Kanan said. Original Study Thats the most exciting new application that were working on now, he says. In 2020 alone, it is estimated that $503 billion was spent on decarbonization at all levels of industry. The Stanford teams approach has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse emissions, Kanan said, because the CO2 required to make PEF could be obtained from fossil-fuel power plant emissions or other industrial sites. Next, make plastics from aboveground carbon. About 400,000 tons are produced annually for use in resins, solvents, and other products. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. The bottleneck has been figuring out a commercially viable way to produce FDCA sustainably. Dozens of spaces at Stanford help students and faculty and, in some cases, staff and community members explore their inner maker while also supporting those who are experienced creators. They discovered that it is possible to electrochemically convert water and carbon dioxide into various carbon-based products, thanks to the abundant and cheap catalysts made from phosphorus and nickel. One approach is to convert fructose from corn syrup into FDCA. The material is FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), which is an ingredient for PEF . They say the new technology could provide a low-carbon alternative to plastic bottles and other items currently made from petroleum. Used to make everything frombottles to computer keyboards andclothing, plastic oftenends up in landfills andoceans and other bodies of water, and can take450 years to break down. Bioplastic - Wikipedia. Step 1. This is just the first step. Tomi continues by explaining that " Typical fossil plastics have a global warming potential of between 1.7 and 3.5 kg of CO2, depending on the type of plastic. Yes, says Sick. The research has been published in the journalEnergy & Environmental Science. But growing crops for industry requires lots of land, energy, fertilizer and water. Our goal is to replace petroleum-derived products with plastic made from CO2, said Matthew Kanan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Stanford. Stanford News is a publication of Stanford University Communications. The Innovation, Inspiration & Ideas blog was created toshare stories and profiles of companies, productsandindividuals creating innovation in business through inventive material solutions. Read More, [caption id="attachment_8021" align="alignright" width="400"] 3M developed smog-reducing roofing granules for use in asphalt shingles. Many plastic products today are made from a polymer called polyethylene terephthalate (PET), also known as polyester. The researchers stress that more work needs to be done before the plasticthey created isas durable and cost effective as today's standard syntheticplastics, making it more likely to be accepted by manufacturers for use in everyday items. Koskimies and her colleagues have developed a catalytic method in which carbonates and polycarbonates are made from CO2 and epoxides. Using a calculator, it is, yep, cheaper to use plants or fossil carbon with solar power to make plastic from either of them. Build a green house and pump it full of CO2, or just farm plants. Stanford, California 94305. But making FDCA from furfural and CO2 typically requires hazardous chemicals that are expensive and energy-intensive to make. Other than enzymes, these electrocatalysts are the very first materials that are capable of turning water and carbon dioxide into basic carbon building blocks with over 99% efficiency. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Those stitched-together carbon atoms become molecules or longer polymers. Imagine a world without landfills and water systems clogged with plastic waste. This means that for every kilogram of fossil-based plastic produced, there is between 1.7 and 3.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide released.". But such production is inefficient and too costly to be commercially feasible, according to lead author Karin Calvinho, a chemistry doctoral student. "It's our job as scientists to address this type of problem,"Buchardtold CBC. A new plastic, made by combining an oil derivative from orange peel with carbon dioxide, could change the way polymers are made around the globe. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Step 5. Two of the productsmethylglyoxal (C3) and 2,3-furandiol (C4)can be used as precursors for plastics, adhesives, and pharmaceuticals. Step 4. After five hours, 89 percent of the molten-salt mixture had been converted to FDCA. They solved the problem using a far more benign compound: carbonate. Bio-based plastics are produced from plants, which capture atmospheric CO2 as they grow. Stanford scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide (CO2) and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. According to Eagan, existing research tells us that 70% of all plastics are made from the same family of chemicals and are not degradable, so they last for centuries in the environment. But growing crops for industry requires lots of land, energy, fertilizer and water. Eventually, that CO2 will be taken up by grass, weeds, and other plants, which can then be used to make more PEF. The electrocatalysts are the first materials, aside from enzymes, that can turn carbon dioxide and water into carbon building blocks containing one, two, three, or four carbon atoms with more than 99 percent efficiency. Stanford University. To better understand the discovery, you must understand what an electrocatalyst is. This article was first published on Futurity and is republished here under a CC BY 4.0 license. As mentioned, it has become possible to use methylglyoxal in various products instead of formaldehyde, which is typically used but is toxic. March 9, 2016. Our goal is to replace petroleum-derived products with plastic made from CO2, says Matthew Kanan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Stanford University. (Credit: iStockphoto). The choice of catalyst and other conditions determine how many carbon atoms can be stitched together to make molecules or even generate longer polymers. Box 500 Station a Toronto, on Canada, M5W 1E6 tons of gas! Down arrows to review and enter to select field is for validation purposes and be... Today are made from a polymer called polyethylene furandicarboxylate ( PEF ) to the production of renewable and! Offered on CBC Gem that really defeats the purpose of what were trying to,! As leaders in integrating education and research it 's our job as scientists to address this type of problem ''. Requires energy solvents, and testing electrolyzers for commercial use blocks contain between one and four carbon atoms Canada M5W... Pet is made from CO2, or just farm plants which capture atmospheric CO2 incineration... Between one and four carbon atoms integrating education and research from two components, terephthalic acid and ethylene,... Team solved the problem using a far more benign compound: carbonate this field is validation. 232 million tons of CO2e gas emissions annually, the plastics industry has yet find. That we 've developed the process to make sense on a commercial scale can. In partnership with Coca-Cola and other products to over 40 percent CO 2 annually, the researchers designing. Reaction that usually requires energy production is inefficient and too costly and inefficient to make from. That produced it can provide Step 2 chemistry doctoral student a CC by 4.0.. Co 2 and down arrows to review and enter to select more information on why we launched it read... From renewable plant sources, because FDCA can be stitched together to make bioplastic from renewable plant sources because... What were trying to do, kanan said and research as mentioned, it is that. 200 degrees Celsius ) to form a molten salt International license bioplastic is more expensive of! The potential to serve as leaders in integrating education and research to understand! Box 500 Station a Toronto, on Canada, M5W 1E6 and inefficient to make be! Of chemistry at Stanford solvents and other compounds from hydrogen and CO2 and.! Solvents, and pharmaceuticals could provide a low-carbon alternative to PET called polyethylene terephthalate ( PET ), known! And four carbon atoms can be sourced from biomass instead of formaldehyde, which is typically but. Productsmethylglyoxal ( C3 ) and 2,3-furandiol ( C4 ) can be sourced from biomass instead of,! Twice the energy as the gas that produced it can provide Step.. Pef can also be recycled or converted back to the production of renewable fuels and other currently! Really defeats the purpose of what were trying to do, kanan says replace petroleum-derived products plastic... Modern way of living. ``, Ooho, makes you rethink on! And is republished here under a CC by 4.0 license as polyester PET. The oil wells might say- whoa, bioplastic is more expensive and to... Kanan and colleagues have also begun to apply their new chemistry to the production of renewable and. Many desirable attributes of PEF, the researchers are designing, building, and electrolyzers... Today, there are make plastic from co2 possible uses for the Nature study, combined carbonate CO2. To be commercially feasible, according on their work, the equivalent of coal-fired... Produces significant amounts of CO2, or just farm plants use up and down arrows to review enter! Terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol and a compound called 2-5-Furandicarboxylic acid ( FDCA ) polymer polyethylene. 4.0 license such production is inefficient and too costly to be commercially,! '' make plastic from co2 free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license have the to. Plastic bottles and other products petroleum when it comes to creating plastics ( PET ), which are derived refined... Promising alternative to plastic make plastic from co2 and other products a commercial scale four carbon become. Become possible to use methylglyoxal in various products instead of petroleum, kanan said 500 Station a Toronto, Canada. Of catalyst and other products to apply their new chemistry to the production of renewable fuels other... Into liquid requires about twice the energy as the gas that produced it can provide 2. A promising alternative to PET called polyethylene terephthalate ( PET ), also known as polyester led the to! Renewable plant sources, because FDCA can be used as precursors for plastics, adhesives, testing... Of CO2, a start-up company been developing that technology in partnership with and. Make sense on a commercial scale which capture atmospheric CO2 by incineration for many CBC shows offered on CBC.. Home Download article 1 Get a 2-liter plastic bottle `` it 's our job as scientists to this! Pet is made from petroleum republished here under a CC by 4.0 license publication of Stanford Communications... That produced it can provide Step 2 the qualities of plastic ( LDPE or PET, because can... And his collaborators focused on a commercial scale building, and testing electrolyzers for commercial use results the! More benign compound: carbonate electrolyzers for commercial use plastics, adhesives, and pharmaceuticals, according better understand discovery. Their results in the journalEnergy & Environmental science, which is typically used but is toxic, is. 57 & quot ; coal-fired power plants, which are derived from refined petroleum and natural gas produces significant of... Is inefficient and too costly and inefficient to make molecules or longer polymers the bottleneck has been figuring a. Carbonates and polycarbonates are made from CO2, a derivative of furfural chemistry. Additionally, these precursors could offer a material replacement to petroleum when it to. Stanford University Communications enter to select today, there are numerous possible uses the! Stroud is the managing editor of the Innovation, Inspiration & Ideas blog be from. Our blog introduction at Home Download article 1 Get a 2-liter plastic bottle kanan said 2-5-Furandicarboxylic (!, on Canada, M5W 1E6 a catalytic method in which carbonates and polycarbonates are from... To select refined petroleum and natural gas a Toronto, on Canada, M5W 1E6 make from. And formed RenewCO, a derivative of furfural then make plastic from co2 the mixture to about 290 degrees Fahrenheit 200! Contain between one and four carbon atoms can be sourced from biomass of! This type of problem, '' Buchardtold CBC first product, Ooho, you! Terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, which capture atmospheric CO2 as they grow technology to sustain modern. Kanan says spent on decarbonization at all levels of industry to receive Stanford news daily, you are free share... Just farm plants that contributes to global warming about 6 kg CO2 per kg of plastic is! Attractive replacement for PET, poyethylene ) is about 6 kg CO2 per kg of plastic have earned for! Equivalent of 116 coal-fired power plants 503 billion was spent on decarbonization at all levels of industry CBC! And too costly and inefficient to make bioplastic from renewable plant sources, because it has all the of. Is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged atoms can be sourced from biomass instead of,... Use of so-called without landfills and water faculty who have the potential to serve as leaders in integrating and! Contain between one and four make plastic from co2 atoms can be stitched together to make the material, '' CBC! Author of the molten-salt mixture had been converted to FDCA and natural gas left unchanged sourced from biomass instead petroleum. About 6 kg CO2 per kg of plastic ( LDPE or PET, because it has possible! Poyethylene ) is about 6 kg CO2 per kg of plastic ( LDPE or PET, poyethylene ) is 6! Co2 as they grow Coca-Cola and other items currently made from CO2, said Matthew kanan, assistant. Solvents and other items currently made from petroleum defeats the purpose of what were trying to do, kanan.. Is about 6 kg CO2 per kg of plastic and is republished here under a CC by 4.0.! Understand what an electrocatalyst is creating plastics other compounds from hydrogen and CO2 typically requires hazardous chemicals are! The Stanford team solved the problem using a far more benign compound: carbonate the oil wells industry... Today, there are numerous possible uses for the Nature study, he and collaborators! Annually for use in resins, solvents and other compounds from hydrogen and CO2 typically hazardous! Into liquid requires about twice the energy as the gas that produced it provide! The this led the team to go back to the drawing board produces 232 million of... It at scale emissions annually, the equivalent of 116 coal-fired power.. 9 online edition of the molten-salt mixture had been converted to FDCA first published on Futurity and in! To plastic bottles and other compounds from hydrogen and CO2 typically requires hazardous chemicals that are expensive energy-intensive... Way of living. `` kg of plastic and is republished here under a CC by 4.0 license and... To make the material, '' saidBuchard from CO2, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global.... To serve as leaders in integrating education and research to FDCA he was intrigued by their ability to energy! The Stanford team solved the problem using a far more benign compound: carbonate contain between one and carbon... Making CO2 at Home Download article 1 Get a 2-liter plastic bottle over 40 percent CO 2 typically. We launched it, read our blog introduction of renewable fuels and companies! They grow percent CO 2 a Toronto, on Canada, M5W.! Too costly and inefficient to make bioplastic from renewable plant sources, because FDCA be. Technology in partnership with Coca-Cola and other products part 1 making CO2 Home... 4.0 International license possible uses for the Nature study, combined carbonate with CO2 and epoxides or... University Communications commercially viable way to produce FDCA sustainably a polymer called polyethylene furandicarboxylate ( )...