SusChEM: Sustainable Chemistry from Combined Inorganic and Organic Waste Precursors

Clemson University, Clemson SC

Investigators

Abstract

Agricultural and petroleum companies produce a tremendous amount of byproducts that is both costly to dispose of and potentially environmentally damaging. This NSF award supports research to develop new chemistry to combine waste from these key American industries and to turn these waste materials into polymers/plastics that are useful for consumer products. By developing novel approaches to recyclable polymers/plastics that are affordable and sustainable, this project aims to benefit society by significantly (1) reducing the environmental damage caused by using non-sustainable plastics, (2) reducing the cost of consumer products in many different markets, and (3) decreasing the amount of waste for which agricultural companies and petroleum refineries pay for disposal. K-12 teachers are offered opportunities to learn about sustainable chemistry to use in lessons in K-12 science classes. To increase participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, this project provides research opportunities to technical and predominantly undergraduate college students and educational activities to engage underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. Polymeric organic and inorganic wastes (POIWs) generated by agricultural and petroleum refining processes have been explored as additives for conventional construction materials, but such products are merely physically blended materials, which are inherently prone to multiple, inescapable environmental deterioration pathways, including fragmentation, leaching, corrosion, and biological degradation. This research is developing chemistry to form covalent bonds between these POIWs and the components of traditional macromolecular compounds to confer upon them significantly greater strength and environmental durability. The objective is being pursued by covalently crosslinking agricultural waste-derived polymeric materials (such as lignocellulosic materials) with petroleum refining waste-derived materials (e.g., sulfur).