2414859
Cooperative Agreement
Overview
Grant Description
SBIR Phase II: Enzymes for accelerated plastic recycling
The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to improve the economics, sustainability, and circularity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic recycling.
Conventional plastic recycling technologies are typically energy intensive, produce low quality plastic, and do not enable continuous recycling of PET plastics into recycled, high value PET packaging for food contact and similar applications.
Today, less than 9% of plastics are recycled in the United States.
Enzyme-mediated plastic recycling may enable more types of PET plastics to be recycled.
In addition, enzyme-mediated plastic recycling may improve the quality and purity of recycled PET plastic products, enabling efficient, circular recycling of bottles, thermoformed PET, and polyester textiles.
Future plastic manufacturing could use enzymatically recycled plastics rather than sourcing chemical building block molecules from fossil fuel-derived sources.
Development of this novel recycling technology could serve as an example to improve the recycling rate of other types of plastic, reduce carbon emissions associated with plastic manufacturing, and reduce the plastic pollution in our environment.
The proposed project is focused on developing high performance engineered enzymes for breakdown of PET plastic into circular plastic chemical building blocks.
Enzymes act as specific molecular scissors to cut bonds within the PET polymer plastic and release the chemical building blocks terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol that are drop-in replacements for PET plastic manufacturing.
These chemical building blocks should be high quality and enable manufacturing of PET plastic products from 100% recycled materials.
The goal of this research is to design and engineer enzymes that efficiently break down PET plastic in a sustainable and economical process under industrial, scalable recycling conditions.
These enzymes will be designed to operate within a simplified end-to-end recycling process that uses novel, green chemistry to enable efficient recovery and purification of chemical building blocks for remanufacture of high quality plastic products.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Subawards are not planned for this award.
The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to improve the economics, sustainability, and circularity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic recycling.
Conventional plastic recycling technologies are typically energy intensive, produce low quality plastic, and do not enable continuous recycling of PET plastics into recycled, high value PET packaging for food contact and similar applications.
Today, less than 9% of plastics are recycled in the United States.
Enzyme-mediated plastic recycling may enable more types of PET plastics to be recycled.
In addition, enzyme-mediated plastic recycling may improve the quality and purity of recycled PET plastic products, enabling efficient, circular recycling of bottles, thermoformed PET, and polyester textiles.
Future plastic manufacturing could use enzymatically recycled plastics rather than sourcing chemical building block molecules from fossil fuel-derived sources.
Development of this novel recycling technology could serve as an example to improve the recycling rate of other types of plastic, reduce carbon emissions associated with plastic manufacturing, and reduce the plastic pollution in our environment.
The proposed project is focused on developing high performance engineered enzymes for breakdown of PET plastic into circular plastic chemical building blocks.
Enzymes act as specific molecular scissors to cut bonds within the PET polymer plastic and release the chemical building blocks terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol that are drop-in replacements for PET plastic manufacturing.
These chemical building blocks should be high quality and enable manufacturing of PET plastic products from 100% recycled materials.
The goal of this research is to design and engineer enzymes that efficiently break down PET plastic in a sustainable and economical process under industrial, scalable recycling conditions.
These enzymes will be designed to operate within a simplified end-to-end recycling process that uses novel, green chemistry to enable efficient recovery and purification of chemical building blocks for remanufacture of high quality plastic products.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Subawards are not planned for this award.
Awardee
Funding Goals
THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, "NSF SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PHASE II (SBIR)/ SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAMS PHASE II", IS IDENTIFIED IN THE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.NSF.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_SUMM.JSP?ODS_KEY=NSF23516
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Portland,
Oregon
97212-5324
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Birch Biosciences was awarded
Cooperative Agreement 2414859
worth $1,000,000
from National Science Foundation in September 2024 with work to be completed primarily in Portland Oregon United States.
The grant
has a duration of 2 years and
was awarded through assistance program 47.084 NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships.
The Cooperative Agreement was awarded through grant opportunity NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II Programs (SBIR/STTR Phase II).
SBIR Details
Research Type
SBIR Phase II
Title
SBIR Phase II: Enzymes for Accelerated Plastic Recycling
Abstract
The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to improve the economics, sustainability, and circularity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic recycling. Conventional plastic recycling technologies are typically energy intensive, produce low quality plastic, and do not enable continuous recycling of PET plastics into recycled, high value PET packaging for food contact and similar applications. Today, less than 9% of plastics are recycled in the United States. Enzyme-mediated plastic recycling may enable more types of PET plastics to be recycled. In addition, enzyme-mediated plastic recycling may improve the quality and purity of recycled PET plastic products, enabling efficient, circular recycling of bottles, thermoformed PET, and polyester textiles. Future plastic manufacturing could use enzymatically recycled plastics rather than sourcing chemical building block molecules from fossil fuel-derived sources. Development of this novel recycling technology could serve as an example to improve the recycling rate of other types of plastic, reduce carbon emissions associated with plastic manufacturing, and reduce the plastic pollution in our environment.
The proposed project is focused on developing high performance engineered enzymes for breakdown of PET plastic into circular plastic chemical building blocks. Enzymes act as specific molecular scissors to cut bonds within the PET polymer plastic and release the chemical building blocks terepthalic acid and ethylene glycol that are drop-in replacements for PET plastic manufacturing. These chemical building blocks should be high quality and enable manufacturing of PET plastic products from 100% recycled materials. The goal of this research is to design and engineer enzymes that efficiently break down PET plastic in a sustainable and economical process under industrial, scalable recycling conditions. These enzymes will be designed to operate within a simplified end-to-end recycling process that uses novel, green chemistry to enable efficient recovery and purification of chemical building blocks for remanufacture of high quality plastic products.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Topic Code
BT
Solicitation Number
NSF 23-516
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 9/25/24
Period of Performance
9/15/24
Start Date
8/31/26
End Date
Funding Split
$1.0M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$1.0M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
2414859
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Small Business
Awarding Office
491503 TRANSLATIONAL IMPACTS
Funding Office
491503 TRANSLATIONAL IMPACTS
Awardee UEI
C9FGGXFZTLE1
Awardee CAGE
93NF2
Performance District
OR-03
Senators
Jeff Merkley
Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Modified: 9/25/24