Using renewable feedstocks–i.e. corn, wheat, and agricultural waste–bioplastics can be turned into fertilizer, tackling the problems of plastic waste and emissions-intensive fertilizer production. Researchers chemically recycled bioplastics in a process that added ammonia to break carbonate bonds and generated an incredibly useful byproduct: nitrogen-rich urea, the key ingredient in many synthetic fertilizers. This way bioplastic made from plants gets broken down into its base components, and turned into nutrients to grow new crops. Typically producing urea requires enormously high temperatures and pressure. Its industrial production is so energy-intensive, that it accounts for 2% of global emissions annually, so this new process is a great step forward.
Otsuka et. al. “Plastics to fertilizers: chemical recycling of a bio-based polycarbonate as a fertilizer source.” Green Chemistry. 2021
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