Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2025

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
Making Persistent Plastics Degradable
Vajk Farkas1,2,3, Márton Nagyházi2, Paul T Anastas1
1Yale Center for Green Chemistry and Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA.
Abstract:
The vastness of the scale of the plastic waste problem will require a variety of strategies and technologies to move toward sustainable and circular materials. One of these strategies to address the challenge of persistent fossil-based plastics is new catalytic processes that are being developed to convert recalcitrant waste such as polyethylene to produce propylene, which can be an important precursor of high-performance polymers that can be designed to biodegrade or to degrade on demand. Remarkably, this process also enables the production of biodegradable polymers using renewable raw materials. In this Perspective, current catalyst systems and strategies that enable the catalytic degradation of polyethylene to propylene are presented. In addition, concepts for using "green" propylene as a raw material to produce compostable polymers is also discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the...
Plasticizers
Plasticizers function by using surface-active agents to create repulsive electrostatic forces between cement particles. This dispersion enhances the concrete's...
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Free-Radical Chain Reaction and Polymerization of Alkenes
Plastic Deformations
Bioremediation

