(689c) Upcycling Waste Polyesters to Polymers for Additive Manufacturing

This year, <30% of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles are recycled, and PET textiles currently exhibit nearly zero recycling rates. Existing approaches for plastics recycling, such as mechanical reprocessing and pyrolysis, are effectively downcycling, as they lead tolower valued products. Chemical conversion of plastic wastes into materials of higher value, or upcycling, may economically incentivize a higher extent of plastics reclamation. To that end, this presentation will cover our recent efforts in demonstrating the conversion of reclaimed polyesters into polymers for light-based additive manufacturing. Thermomechanical properties of these upcycled polymers suggest they are drop-in replacements to petroleum-derived materials. Supply chain energy calculations predict that such plastics upcycling processes can significantly reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, relative to virgin material reproduction. Overall, waste plastics derived materials are demonstrated as new materials for 3D printing and an incentivizing recycling method toward a circular economy.