Plastics are often derived from petroleum, which contributes to harmful greenhouse gas emissions. But now, experts at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center have developed a much more environmentally friendly method of making plastic from biomass.

Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a chemical needed to make a renewable plastic called polyethylene furanoate (PEF). The research team has developed an economical and high-yielding process of producing FDCA from a plant-derived solvent called gamma-Valerolactone (GVL).

This means that PEF could become a bio-based substitute for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is derived from petroleum and has a market demand of 1.5 billion tons per year.