US announces $25m for R&D in plastic recycling

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has announced up to $25 million (£20.5m) in funding as part of the Plastics Innovation Challenge. The Advanced Manufacturing Office and the Bioenergy Technologies Office jointly released the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) that aims to support recyclable plastic research and development (R&D) and study how to break existing plastics into chemical building blocks that can be used to make higher-value products. Under-Secretary of Energy, Mark W. Menezes, said: “The Trump Administration is committed to advancing plastic recycling technologies and the manufacturing of new plastics that are recyclable by design. “Through the Plastics Innovation Challenge, DoE is proud to take part in the development of technologies and strategies to improve how we manage plastics within and beyond America’s borders.” The DoE also plans to invite academic and industry expertise to research new recycling strategies.