ACS Macro Letters

Hokkaido University finds a new route to recyclable polymers from plants

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Environment, Assistant, Recycling, Polymer, Research, ACS Macro Letters, Artificial intelligence, Hokkaido University, Plant, LGO, Computational chemistry, Plastic, Biomass

SAPPORO, Japan, March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Hokkaido University have taken a significant step forward in the drive to make recyclable yet stable plastics from plant materials. This is a key requirement to reduce the burden of plastic pollution in the environment. They developed a convenient and versatile method to make a variety of polymers from chemicals derived from plant cellulose; crucially, these polymers can be fully recycled. The method was published in the journal ACS Macro Letters.

Key Points: 
  • Cellulose, abundantly available from plant biomass, can be converted into molecules used to make a new class of recyclable polymers, to sustainably replace some plastics.
  • SAPPORO, Japan, March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Hokkaido University have taken a significant step forward in the drive to make recyclable yet stable plastics from plant materials.
  • They developed a convenient and versatile method to make a variety of polymers from chemicals derived from plant cellulose; crucially, these polymers can be fully recycled.
  • To make their new polymers, the Hokkaido team used two commercially available small molecules, levoglucosenone (LGO) and dihydrolevoglucosenone (Cyrene), which are made from cellulose.

Hokkaido University finds a new route to recyclable polymers from plants

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Environment, Assistant, Recycling, Polymer, Research, ACS Macro Letters, Artificial intelligence, Hokkaido University, Plant, LGO, Computational chemistry, Plastic, Biomass

SAPPORO, Japan, March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Hokkaido University have taken a significant step forward in the drive to make recyclable yet stable plastics from plant materials. This is a key requirement to reduce the burden of plastic pollution in the environment. They developed a convenient and versatile method to make a variety of polymers from chemicals derived from plant cellulose; crucially, these polymers can be fully recycled. The method was published in the journal ACS Macro Letters.

Key Points: 
  • Cellulose, abundantly available from plant biomass, can be converted into molecules used to make a new class of recyclable polymers, to sustainably replace some plastics.
  • SAPPORO, Japan, March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Hokkaido University have taken a significant step forward in the drive to make recyclable yet stable plastics from plant materials.
  • They developed a convenient and versatile method to make a variety of polymers from chemicals derived from plant cellulose; crucially, these polymers can be fully recycled.
  • To make their new polymers, the Hokkaido team used two commercially available small molecules, levoglucosenone (LGO) and dihydrolevoglucosenone (Cyrene), which are made from cellulose.