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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Researchers report [futurity.org] they have worked out a more energy efficient process to synthesize plastic (polyethylene furandicarboxylate (PEF)) from CO2 and biomass:

“PEF is an attractive replacement for PET, because FDCA [PEF is made from ethylene glycol and a compound called 2-5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA).] can be sourced from biomass instead of petroleum,” Kanan says. “PEF is also superior to PET at sealing out oxygen, which is useful for bottling applications.”

Despite the many desirable attributes of PEF, the plastics industry has yet to find a low-cost way to manufacture it at scale. The bottleneck has been figuring out a commercially viable way to produce FDCA sustainably.
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Instead of using sugar from corn to make FDCA, the team has been experimenting with furfural, a compound made from agricultural waste that has been widely used for decades. About 400,000 tons are produced annually for use in resins, solvents, and other products.

But making FDCA from furfural and CO2 typically requires hazardous chemicals that are expensive and energy-intensive to make. “That really defeats the purpose of what we’re trying to do,” Kanan says.

They solved the problem using a far more benign compound: carbonate. Graduate student Aanindeeta Banerjee, lead author of the Nature study, combined carbonate with CO2 and furoic acid, a derivative of furfural. She then heated the mixture to about 290 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) to form a molten salt.

The results were dramatic. After five hours, 89 percent of the molten-salt mixture had been converted to FDCA. The next step, transforming FDCA into PEF plastic, is a straightforward process that has been worked out by other researchers, Kanan says.

The use of petroleum and other fossil fuels to manufacture plastics is a key argument made by those who claim oil will remain relevant even after the transportation sector has transitioned to fully-electric alternatives. If this process to synthesize PEF proves out it would spell more trouble for the oil industry. The original study is here [doi.org].

Original Submission