80 years ago, polymers transformed society. But this came at a cost.
Today, the total mass of polymers, or plastics, in landfills alone, exceeds the total mass of every human on earth and polymers represent a significant percentage of the solid mass of the oceans.
Microplastics are found in food and all living creatures.
But - we can't do without these transformative materials. Applications for renewable energy, emissions reductions, and purification of water requires new polymers that are effective, sustainable and don't contain forever chemicals.
The Polymer Solutions for the Environment, or POSE, team brings together expertise from across CU Boulder and NREL, that is focused on addressing the polymer problem. With the urgent demand for emissions reduction and circular materials, there is a critical need for coordination in this area of research.
The POSE team will address the need for creating a circular polymer economy, developing polymers that are needed for applications in a just energy transition, and the integration of science and technology research with policy, economics, social science, and management to address regulatory, policy, and social aspects of the polymer economy.
