ReSource
ReSource’s goal is to produce economically competitive commodity plastics using CO2 as the carbon source. Furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is an emerging bio-based alternative to purified terephthalic acid (PTA), a petroleum-derived chemical produced at 60 million tons per year, with more than 100 million tons per year greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. PTA is used to make the polyester PET. Polyester made from FDCA has superior properties to PET, but the cost of making FDCA is too high for commercialization. Conventional technologies rely on edible fructose as the FDCA feedstock. We have invented a chemical technology to produce FDCA from waste biomass and CO2 that enables drastic cost and GHG reduction. ReSource will translate this technology into a commercial process.
Team Members
Aanindeeta Banerjee (PhD, Post doc, Chem), Amy Frankhouser (PhD, Chem), and PI: Prof. Matthew Kanan (Chem)
Learn More
TomKat Innovation Spotlight: The Plastic Paradox March 2022