German Plastic Waste Researchers Win Hundred-Million Grant

The award made by the Werner Siemens Foundation in Switzerland went to the project known as “Catalaix.” It aims to replace linear value chains with circular economies, thereby eliminating the enormous amount of plastic waste currently generated.

8.3 gigatons of plastic were produced between 1950 and 2015, project leaders Professors Regina Palkovits and Jürgen Klankermayer say. But only seven percent of that material got recycled. If nothing changes, the scientists warn, a billion tons of plastic will be produced by the year 2050: the equivalent of all plants and animals alive today or, in terms of CO2 emissions, 800 coal-burning power plants.

The key to the Catalaix is the catalysis technology capable of enabling, steering and accelerating chemical processes. The project aims to come up with procedures for recycling conventional into environmental renewable plastics within the next ten years. It has already has initial success achieving that transformation with polyethylene (PE) plastic bottles.