Few materials are as versatile and durable as plastic. The problem is that manufacturing them has always used an enormous amount of petroleum. One company, Novomer, thinks it has a solution: Its bioplastic technology cuts the use of oil in half, creating a cleaner, greener plastic.

“With about 10 percent of all crude oil and natural gas in the U.S. being used for plastics manufacturing, the benefits of [Novomer's] PPC [polypropylene carbonate] being commercialized are not only for a greener solution when compared to current materials, it is also lower in cost and offers higher performance for many applications," says Colleen Ryan, spokesperson for New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

NYSERDA recently granted Novomer $800,000 to commercialize its bioplastic technology. Novomer will be working with both Kodak and the Rochester Institute of Technology to complete the project. 

The Problem at Hand

Recently, a campaign against disposable water bottles highlighted the connection between plastic waste and oil consumption: Americans go through 1,500 plastic water bottles each second. At the same time, 17 billion barrels of oil are used each year to produce the bottles used in bottled water alone. At a time when gas prices have been at an all-time high, finding a way reduce the amount of oil needed to produce plastics is becoming critical.

Novomer’s technology produces plastics from CO2 and petroleum. The PPC materials created by Novomer use only half the oil of traditional plastic manufacturing. A zinc-based catalyst is used to bind CO2 to liquid epoxides in a reactor. This creates a viscous liquid that is used to make bottles, plastic wrap and coatings for products. 

The best part, from an economic standpoint, is that bioplastics such as this can be produced using existing manufacturing technologies and infrastructures. So it is comparable in price to conventional plastics and will not require more petroleum to create new technologies or manufacturing plants. 

Green technology catches on when it is economically feasible, especially in the current economy. Not only is Novomer's process no more expensive than traditional methods and it uses much less fuel, but the company's Novomer’s bioplastics have a vastly improved oxygen barrier compared with conventional products. This will help food stay fresh longer, which may result in less food waste. In addition, the bio-PPC weighs less than traditional plastics, which will also reduce the cost of transportation. 

The domino effect, in this case, may be positive—at least from the perspective of the CEO selling the technology. “Novomer's ability to reduce petroleum usage by at least 50 percent—while also converting CO2 from pollution into valuable materials—has the potential to transform the plastics and materials landscape on a global scale,”  says Jim Mahoney, Novomer’s CEO.