Scientists find efficient and economical process to produce plastic chemical

Washington: A team of researchers has found an efficient and economical process to produce plastic chemical — HMF or hydroxymethylfurfural. The HMF is a versatile plant-derived chemical considered crucial for building a renewable economy.
The research was published in the Journal of Energy and Environmental Science.
What’s more, the process is simple and compatible with the existing infrastructure in the high fructose corn syrup industry, the researchers showed.
“We integrated into a current process to reduce the initial risk quite a bit and decrease the initial capital required to prove the technology,” said Ali Hussain Motagamwala, who led the project.
HMF can be used to make a wide range of chemicals, plastics, and fuels. It is an appealing candidate for commercialisation in part because there is already an established market for many of the products made with HMF. One is a fully plant-derived version of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the common plastic used to make beverage bottles and food packaging.
To date, however, HMF’s use has been limited because of its high production cost. Bio-based plastics are currently more expensive than their petroleum counterparts, largely due to the scale of the existing manufacturing processes. “There is a demand for sustainable alternatives. The question is — How cost-competitive can we be with petroleum-based products,” asked Motagamwala.