Polymer Sustainability

Catalog description

This course will address the problem of environmentally-persistent plastic pollution. The environmental science of plastic pollution, including quantification techniques, consequences for specific ecosystems, and the incorporation of microplastics in the environment will be taught. Commercial and new biobased and biodegradable polymers will be taught, with a focus on the environmental requirements for total degradation, and the potential impacts of degradation products. Finally, life cycle analysis and the concept of designing plastic materials and components for a circular economy will be introduced through case-study analysis.