ORNL researchers join BOTTLE consortium to develop sustainable packaging

In Tennessee, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are joining the Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment, or BOTTLE, Consortium. 

In collaboration with other national laboratories, ORNL scientists will support the development of new plastics that are recyclable-by-design and customize microbes and processes to break down current plastics into chemical building blocks that can be used to make higher-value products. 

These efforts simultaneously aim to reduce waste in landfills and to grow the nation’s bioeconomy through renewable generation of valuable chemicals.