[font face=Serif]Stanford Report, March 9, 2016
[font size=5]Stanford scientists make renewable plastic from carbon dioxide and plants[/font]

[font size=4]The new technology could provide a green alternative to petroleum-based plastic bottles and other polyester products.[/font]

By Mark Shwartz

[font size=3]Stanford scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. Researchers say the new technology could provide a low-carbon alternative to plastic bottles and other items currently made from petroleum.

"Our goal is to replace petroleum-derived products with plastic made from CO₂," said Matthew Kanan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Stanford. "If you could do that without using a lot of non-renewable energy, you could dramatically lower the carbon footprint of the plastics industry."

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"We believe that our chemistry can unlock the promise of PEF that has yet to be realized," Kanan said. "This is just the first step. We need to do a lot of work to see if it's viable at scale and to quantify the carbon footprint."

Kanan and colleagues have also begun to apply their new chemistry to the production of renewable fuels and other compounds from hydrogen and CO₂. "That's the most exciting new application that we're working on now," he said.

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