Delaware

Plastics have transformed everyday life, but their widespread use has created a pressing waste problem. Berkeley Lab partners with the University of Delaware and its Center for Plastics Innovation (part of the Energy Frontier Research Centers supported by the U.S. Department of Energy) to explore new methods of chemical recycling and enzymatic biodegradation to reshape the overall lifecycle. One particular project out of the University of Delaware leverages resources of the Joint Genome Institute at Berkeley Lab to study how microbes in mealworms’ guts might break down plastics. These approaches can use less energy than conventional methods and signal a hopeful path for reducing plastic waste.