(482d) Re-Imagining Plastics Waste As a Valuable Feedstock

Polymers are ubiquitous in the modern world, and the demand for and production of plastics products continues to climb. Historically, the chemical manufacturing of plastics has focused on key features, such as durability, low-cost, and multifunctionality; however, these aspects also challenge current recycling and upcycling efforts to combat the plastics waste dilemma. I will share several vignettes that highlight deconstruction and upgrading strategies to transform plastics waste into valuable feedstocks, address the complexity of ‘real’ plastics waste, and offer frameworks to enable more sustainable plastics manufacturing