University of California, Davis, $25,000
This team is aiming to reduce the worldwide quantity of plastic waste by incorporating it into our process feed stream. Specifically, the team is developing a way to use biological methods to break down Polyethylene Terephthalate plastic into Purified Terephthalic acid, a high-value commodity chemical, and ethylene glycol, which can be used as a bacterial food source. The goal is to create a cycle that enables the conversion of waste plastic into new, high quality plastic without dependence on fossil fuels.