29 min
From Waste to Worth: Rethinking Plastics with NREL's Insights Science with a Twist
-
- Natural Sciences
In this episode of Science with a Twist, host Terri Somers speaks with Kat Knauer, Ph.D., Senior Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Chief Technology Officer of the BOTTLE Consortium. They delve into both the value of plastics and the pervasive issue of plastic pollution and its impact on the environment. Kat shares insights on the role scientific research and industries play in addressing plastic waste and promoting sustainability.
Kat’s expertise offers listeners a deeper understanding of the complexities of plastic pollution and the collective effort needed to forge a sustainable future, including:
• An overview of some innovative solutions for recycling and the development of new, more sustainable plastics.
• The importance of reducing single-use plastics in our daily lives, as well as in research labs and the broader biotech field.
• Kat also shines a spotlight on a couple of collaborations with Amazon and Patagonia, each of which aims to create a more circular economy for plastics.
Kat has a concise call to action for listeners, as individuals and as professionals in the life sciences: make the effort to reduce plastics usage and improve recycling habits.
In this episode of Science with a Twist, host Terri Somers speaks with Kat Knauer, Ph.D., Senior Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Chief Technology Officer of the BOTTLE Consortium. They delve into both the value of plastics and the pervasive issue of plastic pollution and its impact on the environment. Kat shares insights on the role scientific research and industries play in addressing plastic waste and promoting sustainability.
Kat’s expertise offers listeners a deeper understanding of the complexities of plastic pollution and the collective effort needed to forge a sustainable future, including:
• An overview of some innovative solutions for recycling and the development of new, more sustainable plastics.
• The importance of reducing single-use plastics in our daily lives, as well as in research labs and the broader biotech field.
• Kat also shines a spotlight on a couple of collaborations with Amazon and Patagonia, each of which aims to create a more circular economy for plastics.
Kat has a concise call to action for listeners, as individuals and as professionals in the life sciences: make the effort to reduce plastics usage and improve recycling habits.
29 min