Seeking Sustainable Solutions
December 14, 2023
Addressing the global plastic crisis is the focus of research for Northwestern's Linda Broadbelt, who works to capture value from and improve recyclability of existing plastics
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New Foam-to-Foam Recycling Process Opens Doors to a Circular Economy for Key Plastics
August 29, 2023
Researchers discover how to dismantle and rebuild a common form of polyurethane
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Building Out the Biobased Economy
March 13, 2023
New Life-Cycle Assessment research evaluates greenhouse gas emission and environmental impact of 15 promising biochemicals
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‘Forever Chemicals’ Destroyed by Simple New Method
August 18, 2022
Process beheads PFAS, causing it to fall apart into benign end products
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Confronting Our Planet’s Polymer Problem
June 03, 2022
Northwestern researchers seek solutions to the plastics pollution dilemma with new ideas on polymer design and upcycling
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Upcyling Polyester Could Reduce Plastic Waste
March 24, 2022
Called plastic upcycling, efficient use of the chemistry has implications from bioremediation to medicine
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Tire Dumps and Aging Mattresses May Soon Be Relics of the Past
March 08, 2022
Researchers pioneer innovative chemistry-based solutions, transform complex materials like tires and plastics into recyclable resources, addressing sustainability challenges and unlocking latent energy
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Microplastic Pollution Lingers in Rivers for Years Before Entering Oceans
January 12, 2022
Water dynamics can trap lightweight microplastics that otherwise might float
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$1.6M Awarded to Northwestern-Industry Partnership for Circular Plastics Innovation
December 06, 2021
U.S. Department of Energy supports joint research by Northwestern and BASF to promote plastics circularity, recyclability
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Shaping a Sustainable Future for a Common Plastic
November 18, 2021
Team from government, academia and industry unites to identify new opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of polyurethane — one of the most widely used but little recycled plastics
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Northwestern Team Among First to Visualize Polymers in Actual Material
October 11, 2021
Researchers used super-resolution optical microscopy
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Dynamic Chemistry Enables Chemical Recycling of Traditionally Non-Recyclable Materials
June 24, 2021
When it comes to plastics and polymers, not all materials can be easily recycled and made into new products. Researchers are trying to create new materials with similar properties that can be reprocessed sustainably.
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Panelists Discuss Importance of Sustainability in Food Packaging and Plastics
May 06, 2021
The Kellogg School of Management, with outreach support from the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN), hosted a virtual panel discussion on the sustainable use of plastics in food retail on April 20.
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Making Plastics Production More Energy Efficient
March 22, 2021
Northwestern engineering researchers have demonstrated a new approach to chemical catalysis that results in high propylene yields using less energy. The findings could support more energy-efficient production processes for many plastics.
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Jen Drummond Presents Research on Microplastics' Impact on River Ecosystems
February 25, 2021
Jen Drummond (McCormick Ph.D. ’15) presented research findings about the impacts of microplastic pollution in rivers and freshwater ecosystems at a Tuesday webinar hosted by the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern.
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Materials Flow Analysis: Supporting a Circular Plastics Economy
January 22, 2021
Plastics have become a significant material in many sectors but have contributed to a detrimental amount of environmental degradation.
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What's in Your Water? The Health Impacts of Plastic Pollution
August 17, 2020
The world is awash in plastics. Globally, we currently produce about 300 million additional tons of plastic waste per year—nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. Most of that plastic—approximately 79 percent—ends up in landfills or the environment.
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An Unlikely Ally in the Fight Against Plastic Pollution
April 20, 2020
Northwestern researcher takes inspiration from baleen whales
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Team of Researchers Awarded $2.5 Million for Sustainable Plastics Innovation
February 10, 2020
U.S. Department of Energy supports joint research from Northwestern, Argonne National Laboratory, and industry partners
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Understanding Plastics as Carriers for Microbial Communities
July 09, 2019
Approximately eight million metric tons of plastic pollution enter the ocean each year. That means that by 2050, the amount of plastic is expected to exceed fish in the ocean by mass.
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Plastic Pollution: Re-thinking Degradation and Recycling
July 01, 2019
Of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics generated since 1950, 79 percent of it has ended up in landfills and ecosystems. That adds up to more than 6.5 billion tons of plastics left to persist for hundreds or thousands of years in waterways and on land.
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Working to Preemptively Respond to the Problem of Plastic Pollution
May 07, 2019
Approximately half of all plastic that is produced is designed to be used only once and then thrown away.
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Plastic Waste: You Can't Manage What You Don't Measure
May 18, 2018
In 2015, the state of Alabama paid approximately $32 million to bury 711,436 tons of recyclable materials from its residents in landfills.
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