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Iron-catalyzed [2+2] oligomerization of butadiene produces (1,n'-divinyl) oligocyclobutane, a new polymer that can be chemically recycled. (Figure by Jonathan Darmon)

Princeton researchers led by Paul Chirik and Megan Mohadjer Beromi have discovered a potentially game-changing new molecule with vast implications for making plastics that are truly recyclable. (Photo by C. Todd Reichart)

Newly Discovered Polymer May Create Infinitely Recyclable Plastics

As the planet’s burden of rubber and plastic rises unabated, scientists look to the promise of closed-loop recycling to reduce trash. Paul Chirik, the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Chemistry, discovered a new molecule and process for chemically recycling plastics, opening the door to sequestering carbon in the things we use and managing plastic waste on a large scale. His research team, including first author of the study Megan Mohadjer Beromi, a postdoctoral research fellow in Chirik’s lab, found that the common molecule, butadiene, which is a major byproduct of fossil fuel development and also is an abundant organic compound, could be turned into a new polymer. Known as oligocyclobutane, this polymer has properties that can not only make a hard, strong plastic, but in a rare feature, can also be chemically broken down and returned back to butadiene. The process of both creating the polymer and recovering the building block, butadiene, is known as chemical recycling and relies on a unique iron catalyst, which the team discovered. It is the only known trigger that enables both the creation of this new plastic base and its reversibility. The paper was published in the journal Nature Chemistry.

“I see the fact that there is little public information on the topic and technology as an opportunity for storytelling and education campaigns.”

—Elke Weber

Don’t Know About Carbon Capture and Sequestration? You’re Not Alone

Capturing carbon at the smokestack is a promising way to combat climate change, but the majority of Americans are unfamiliar with the technology, according to a new study by Elke Weber, the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment and professor of psychology and the School of Public and International Affairs, and colleagues. The carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) process involves capturing carbon dioxide gas from facilities—such as fossil fuel power plants, factories, and refineries—before it enters the atmosphere and then piping it underground for permanent storage. CCS promises to reduce emissions from industrial processes like steel and cement production that are difficult to decarbonize, and according to the Net-Zero America study, it’s crucial in nearly every scenario to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. According to Weber’s research, published in the journal Energy Policy, over 80% of Americans either do not know of the technology or could not definitively say that they recognized it, which points to a gap in communication.

Tough, Timely, and Team-driven: 50 Years of Energy and Environmental Research at Princeton

Lyman Spitzer (1914-1997), Princeton astrophysicist, stands beside the Stellarator A. (Photo courtesy of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory)

Since the mid-20th century, researchers at Princeton University have been at the forefront of understanding the world’s energy problems and developing pathbreaking solutions.

From performing critical studies that help to uncover the full impact of our energy usage to developing innovative green technologies, Princeton scientists have been unrelenting in their quest to find new methods that can lead the world toward a clean, sustainable energy future.

This legacy dates to the 1950s, when Princeton astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer proposed a way to produce controlled fusion on Earth. Realizing that fusion could become an inexhaustible energy source, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission greenlighted the project, which later became the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

By the late 1960s, as global energy and environmental crises came to the fore, Princeton established the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies to respond to national issues and provide meaningful, timely research that influenced energy conservation policy. Part of CEES eventually became the Energy Systems Analysis Group (ESAG), which was incorporated in Princeton’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment during the tenure of founding director Emily Carter, the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, emeritus and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and applied and computational mathematics, emeritus. ESAG researchers played a leading role in the Net-Zero America study, a Princeton study, produced by researchers at the Andlinger Center and the High Meadows Environmental Institute, which identified five technological pathways through which the United States could achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The study is widely regarded as the most comprehensive

and granular look at how the country’s energy system could be transformed over the next three decades, city by city and state by state.

To read the full story about Princeton’s legacy in energy and environmental research, visit https://www. princeton.edu/news/2020/08/21/tough-timely-andteam-driven-50-years-energy-research.