Evolving a circular plastics ecomony
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Hull
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Purpose: This project aims to identify the gaps and leaks in a plastics circular economy, and explore and develop new pathways to an enhanced circularity in plastics use by facilitating the co-design and execution of specific innovations across an interdisciplinary range of academics, stakeholders and consumers, from the full plastic value chain.
This project seeks to achieve exciting and transformative advances in the development of circular plastics economy (CPE). We have engaged a broad multidisciplinary consortium of interested researchers and stakeholders, within our Plastics Collaboratory, that aim to transform the plastic economy, with expertise ranging from development of new plastics, to post-use treatment for reprocessing, and our logistics, computer science and environmental and social science researchers. Together the outcomes will lead to improved understanding of the motivations and drivers of plastic flows in the economy and environment. To achieve this broad aim, a set of activities are planned as follows with a set of four interconnected Work Packages:
i) Stakeholder engagement - a series of workshops and outreach events will be held with regional and national companies, industrial sectors and the general public to focus on their key challenges. The main aim will be to understand the drivers and challenges affecting peoples 'plastic' behaviours. These will be timetabled regularly throughout the programme to cover key issues concerning plastic uses, properties, costs, logistics, disposal and recycling.
ii) novel catalytic chemistry to develop biodegradable biopolymers with useful plastic properties, to make new plastic material from non-fossil renewable sources which also do not persist in the environment.
iii) novel catalytic chemistry and treatments for the depolymerisation, gasification and treatment of post use plastics, to create new feedstocks suitable for reuse in the making of new plastic materials. A range of technologies will be investigated which can utilise both oil derived and bioplastics.
iv) a series of workshops to promote discussion between the different disciplines represented, and others that may emerge as relevant, ensuring cross-fertilization and idea generation;
v) Pump priming - drawing on discussions with stakeholders and between disciplines we will pump prime a number of projects. These will include lab-based research and practical engagement - using the University of Hull campus as a test site for new practices, developing new and innovative ideas and solutions that will help us to eliminate future plastic waste. We anticipate these leading to longer-term legacy of the project through steering ISCF calls.
The Humber region is fast becoming one of world's major green estuaries, and we will engage with the growing number of environmentally aware companies that have substantial holdings in the region and relationships with the university, including supermarket chains and large multi-nationals (see Partnership Letters). Business networks will also be used to build up a complete a picture of plastics flows as possible and aid modelling and mapping the shape and potential for future CPE.
This project seeks to achieve exciting and transformative advances in the development of circular plastics economy (CPE). We have engaged a broad multidisciplinary consortium of interested researchers and stakeholders, within our Plastics Collaboratory, that aim to transform the plastic economy, with expertise ranging from development of new plastics, to post-use treatment for reprocessing, and our logistics, computer science and environmental and social science researchers. Together the outcomes will lead to improved understanding of the motivations and drivers of plastic flows in the economy and environment. To achieve this broad aim, a set of activities are planned as follows with a set of four interconnected Work Packages:
i) Stakeholder engagement - a series of workshops and outreach events will be held with regional and national companies, industrial sectors and the general public to focus on their key challenges. The main aim will be to understand the drivers and challenges affecting peoples 'plastic' behaviours. These will be timetabled regularly throughout the programme to cover key issues concerning plastic uses, properties, costs, logistics, disposal and recycling.
ii) novel catalytic chemistry to develop biodegradable biopolymers with useful plastic properties, to make new plastic material from non-fossil renewable sources which also do not persist in the environment.
iii) novel catalytic chemistry and treatments for the depolymerisation, gasification and treatment of post use plastics, to create new feedstocks suitable for reuse in the making of new plastic materials. A range of technologies will be investigated which can utilise both oil derived and bioplastics.
iv) a series of workshops to promote discussion between the different disciplines represented, and others that may emerge as relevant, ensuring cross-fertilization and idea generation;
v) Pump priming - drawing on discussions with stakeholders and between disciplines we will pump prime a number of projects. These will include lab-based research and practical engagement - using the University of Hull campus as a test site for new practices, developing new and innovative ideas and solutions that will help us to eliminate future plastic waste. We anticipate these leading to longer-term legacy of the project through steering ISCF calls.
The Humber region is fast becoming one of world's major green estuaries, and we will engage with the growing number of environmentally aware companies that have substantial holdings in the region and relationships with the university, including supermarket chains and large multi-nationals (see Partnership Letters). Business networks will also be used to build up a complete a picture of plastics flows as possible and aid modelling and mapping the shape and potential for future CPE.
Planned Impact
The persistence of plastic waste in the environment and the reliance of fossil derived polymers for their creation, are unsustainable. Yet our current level of reliance on the utility of plastics makes this a significant challenge both in terms of requiring scientific breakthroughs in materials and chemical engineering, to the change in behaviour necessary to move beyond single use fossil derived, disposable plastics.
The key driver for this programme is to generate results which could potentially be of great relevance to a range of stakeholders who rely on innovations and solutions to help reduce our ever mounting plastic waste. At its core, this programme will engage a significant number of non-academic communities, both locally, regionally and nationally and will include stakeholders from business, charitable organisations, local government and end-users (initially this will be a cross-section of University of Hull staff and students). Together with our academics they will be contributing to new understandings of how the plastic circular economy works today, and where we can start making a difference through exploring collaborative innovative ideas and solutions.
Stakeholder engagement is a significant part of this programme and is likely to inspire novel opportunities for impact that cannot be predicted in advance, but several likely outcomes can be expected. By encouraging regional businesses and end-users/consumers to share their experiences of the creation, use and recycling of plastics, including exploring the alternatives to plastics, it is likely that our logistics institute expertise will be able to analyse these supply chains and material flows to suggest potential initiatives to save energy material and waste through improved design of these processes. Through interaction with stakeholders and end-users the behavioural psychologists may also be able to come up with new insights on how people may be persuaded to change their ways.
Stakeholder engagement will also have the beneficial effect of increasing the local awareness and engagement with the research going on throughout the university, potentially shortening the pathways and timescales for translation of novel ideas materials and processes into application and use.
The creation of novel bio-derived polymers can be scaled up to create new plastics which, once adopted at scale, can significantly contribute to reducing the entry of persistent plastics to the environment. Achieving the adoption of novel plastics, at a cost suitable for introduction on a mass market scale is no small challenge, but is only possible once the initial material development work is started. More significant may be the development of a commercially viable reprocessing method for depolymerisation, gasification and regeneration of useful chemicals derived from post use plastic waste, which can be used in the regeneration of new consumer plastics. One key intended outcome of this is to be able to resolve a key problem in consumer recycling, that of having to distinguish and separate different types of plastics, including recyclable, non-recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. The aim within this project is to test and develop a process that can make use of these in mixed form, then the collection and processing of post-consumer waste can be greatly simplified.
Using the University of Hull as a test site for novel practices in plastics use and reclamation and in alternatives to plastic, will create a knowledge base and practical experience for larger, regional and national scale trials of successful initiatives.
All of these together will have a significant beneficial effect on the local environment, and on other environments which are currently impacted by plastics disposal, many of which are low income countries who import and process a large proportion of the plastic waste currently generated in Europe and America.
The key driver for this programme is to generate results which could potentially be of great relevance to a range of stakeholders who rely on innovations and solutions to help reduce our ever mounting plastic waste. At its core, this programme will engage a significant number of non-academic communities, both locally, regionally and nationally and will include stakeholders from business, charitable organisations, local government and end-users (initially this will be a cross-section of University of Hull staff and students). Together with our academics they will be contributing to new understandings of how the plastic circular economy works today, and where we can start making a difference through exploring collaborative innovative ideas and solutions.
Stakeholder engagement is a significant part of this programme and is likely to inspire novel opportunities for impact that cannot be predicted in advance, but several likely outcomes can be expected. By encouraging regional businesses and end-users/consumers to share their experiences of the creation, use and recycling of plastics, including exploring the alternatives to plastics, it is likely that our logistics institute expertise will be able to analyse these supply chains and material flows to suggest potential initiatives to save energy material and waste through improved design of these processes. Through interaction with stakeholders and end-users the behavioural psychologists may also be able to come up with new insights on how people may be persuaded to change their ways.
Stakeholder engagement will also have the beneficial effect of increasing the local awareness and engagement with the research going on throughout the university, potentially shortening the pathways and timescales for translation of novel ideas materials and processes into application and use.
The creation of novel bio-derived polymers can be scaled up to create new plastics which, once adopted at scale, can significantly contribute to reducing the entry of persistent plastics to the environment. Achieving the adoption of novel plastics, at a cost suitable for introduction on a mass market scale is no small challenge, but is only possible once the initial material development work is started. More significant may be the development of a commercially viable reprocessing method for depolymerisation, gasification and regeneration of useful chemicals derived from post use plastic waste, which can be used in the regeneration of new consumer plastics. One key intended outcome of this is to be able to resolve a key problem in consumer recycling, that of having to distinguish and separate different types of plastics, including recyclable, non-recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. The aim within this project is to test and develop a process that can make use of these in mixed form, then the collection and processing of post-consumer waste can be greatly simplified.
Using the University of Hull as a test site for novel practices in plastics use and reclamation and in alternatives to plastic, will create a knowledge base and practical experience for larger, regional and national scale trials of successful initiatives.
All of these together will have a significant beneficial effect on the local environment, and on other environments which are currently impacted by plastics disposal, many of which are low income countries who import and process a large proportion of the plastic waste currently generated in Europe and America.
Organisations
- University of Hull, United Kingdom (Lead Research Organisation)
- Morrison Supermarkets plc (Collaboration)
- Reckitt Benckiser, Hull, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Hull City Council, United Kingdom (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- East Riding of Yorkshire County Council (Collaboration)
- William Jackson Food Group (Collaboration)
- ISDRS (Project Partner)
- Garthwest (Project Partner)
- Chartered Institution of Wastes Mgt (Project Partner)
- Global Biotechnology Transfer Foundation (Project Partner)
- Morrisons Plc (Project Partner)
- William Jackson & Son Ltd, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Humber Nature Partnership (Project Partner)
- Marketing Humber Bondholders (Project Partner)
- Del Monte (UK) Ltd. (Project Partner)
- The Deep (Project Partner)
- Waitrose, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
Publications

Gope P
(2019)
Lightweight and Physically Secure Anonymous Mutual Authentication Protocol for Real-Time Data Access in Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks
in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics

Lin R
(2020)
Supramolecular chemistry of substituted cucurbit[ n ]urils
in Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers



Santoro O
(2020)
INSIGHTS into the structures adopted by titanocalix[6 and 8]arenes and their use in the ring opening polymerization of cyclic esters.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)

Sun Z
(2020)
Use of titanocalix[4]arenes in the ring opening polymerization of cyclic esters
in Catalysis Science & Technology

Wang K
(2019)
Turning on ROP activity in a bimetallic Co/Zn complex supported by a [2+2] Schiff-base macrocycle.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)


Xing T
(2021)
Co-polymerization of propylene oxide and CO 2 using early transition metal (groups IV and V) metallocalix[ n ]arenes (n = 4, 6, 8)
in Journal of Applied Polymer Science

Xing T
(2021)
Vanadium complexes derived from oxacalix[6]arenes: structural studies and use in the ring opening homo-/co-polymerization of e-caprolactone/d-valerolactone and ethylene polymerization
in Catalysis Science & Technology
Description | A number of new systems have been discovered that are capable of forming biodegradable polymers in a controllable fashion. That is, by adjusting the properties of the catalyst employed, the properties of the resultant polymers can be altered. The systems have been found to work efficiently in air which means less specialized equipment is needed by industry when considering scale-up. Cytotoxicity studies show the systems are not poisonous, whilst on-going weathering studies are revealing the types of chemicals released when these new plastics are left to decompose under different environments. A separate work package has been working with Morrisons and suppliers and relates to a better understanding of issues related to packaging, waste collection and recycling - see impact section. In terns of knowledge transfer, a new educational framework has been developed for interacting with schools and this is currently been put to use both in Hull and in Bremerhaven (Germany). |
Exploitation Route | Morrisons are interested in the chain supply mapping. We are also in discussions with a number of companies regarding smart packaging and are preparing a bid for a NERC call. |
Sectors | Chemicals,Creative Economy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
Description | We have extended our engagement to Morrisons' suppliers and material recovery facilities to better understand issues related to packaging, waste collection and recycling and to better quantify the amount of plastic waste generated and collected by site and by stock keeping unit (SKU). This is enabling Morrisons in their strategy to standardize plastic packaging and a possible roadmap zero-plastic waste. Our methodology is being extended to other manufacturers and retailers; we are currently in discussions with the Jackson Food Group. |
First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
Sector | Creative Economy,Environment,Retail |
Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
Description | RSC Round table discussion on polymers |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Gave evidence to a government review |
Description | Citizen Inquiry: Barriers, Challenges and Enablers for public engagement |
Amount | £20,138 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/T019115/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2020 |
End | 05/2020 |
Description | Newton Fund Grant Agreement Researcher Links: Workshop |
Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 2019-RLWK11-10194 |
Organisation | British Council |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2020 |
Description | ECPE project partners |
Organisation | East Riding of Yorkshire County Council |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We have brought these and other partners into our team for this project, through which they have met a range of staff at Hull from different disciplines as well as the other partners. Thus they have participated in the formulation of the project and the generation of data on attitudes to plastics and the circular economy. |
Collaborator Contribution | Representatives have attended project workshops, participated in individual meetings/interviews some with a view to more direct (individual) collaboration. |
Impact | Project data and outputs will include results from these collaborations; further discussions on going relationship. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | ECPE project partners |
Organisation | Hull City Council |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We have brought these and other partners into our team for this project, through which they have met a range of staff at Hull from different disciplines as well as the other partners. Thus they have participated in the formulation of the project and the generation of data on attitudes to plastics and the circular economy. |
Collaborator Contribution | Representatives have attended project workshops, participated in individual meetings/interviews some with a view to more direct (individual) collaboration. |
Impact | Project data and outputs will include results from these collaborations; further discussions on going relationship. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | ECPE project partners |
Organisation | Reckitt Benckiser |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We have brought these and other partners into our team for this project, through which they have met a range of staff at Hull from different disciplines as well as the other partners. Thus they have participated in the formulation of the project and the generation of data on attitudes to plastics and the circular economy. |
Collaborator Contribution | Representatives have attended project workshops, participated in individual meetings/interviews some with a view to more direct (individual) collaboration. |
Impact | Project data and outputs will include results from these collaborations; further discussions on going relationship. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | ECPE project partners |
Organisation | William Jackson Food Group |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We have brought these and other partners into our team for this project, through which they have met a range of staff at Hull from different disciplines as well as the other partners. Thus they have participated in the formulation of the project and the generation of data on attitudes to plastics and the circular economy. |
Collaborator Contribution | Representatives have attended project workshops, participated in individual meetings/interviews some with a view to more direct (individual) collaboration. |
Impact | Project data and outputs will include results from these collaborations; further discussions on going relationship. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Morrisons supply chain |
Organisation | Morrison Supermarkets plc |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We are engaging with Morrisons' suppliers and material recovery facilities to better understand issues related to packaging, waste collection and recycling and to better quantify the amount of plastic waste generated and collected by site and by stock keeping unit SKU. This will enable Morrisons in their strategy to standardize plastic packaging and a possible roadmap zero-plastic waste. |
Collaborator Contribution | They have allowed access to their internal processes |
Impact | Pending. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Humber Bank Environmental Managers Forum |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Humber Bank Environmental Managers Forum |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Lecture at Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | A seminar was given to the reseachers of Sun-Yat Sen University who work in the area of plastics. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Lecture at University of the Philippines Los Banos |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | A lecture was given to staff and students in the Institute of Chemistry. The Philippines has a big problem with plastics waste and they were keen to listen and suggested we collaborate if future funding calls were available. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | North Yorkshire LEP |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | workshop on the circular economy. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Sheffield Business School |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Av talk to Sheffield Business School (PRME regional meeting - Principles of Responsible Management Education) - How can businesses and academia address the problem of plastic waste? |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Sheffield University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Early career researchers conference |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology Seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A seminar was given to the reseachers of Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, who work in the area of plastics. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Speaker at materials Science workshop in Manila |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Keynote lecture given at the Advances and Innovations In Materials Science 2019 workshop held at De La Salle University in Manila. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | http://dlsuamis2019.weekly.com/ |