Bio-based bifuran resin drop-in for PET packaging
This technology is a modified version of PET — the same plastic used in water bottles and polyester clothing — where a small amount (2–10%) of a bio-derivable building block called bifuran dicarboxylate is substituted into the polymer chain during manufacturing. The result is a drop-in-compatible plastic that retains PET's key processing characteristics (melting point, crystallinity, strength) while incorporating a renewable, furan-based monomer. The modified plastic can be shaped into films, fibers, bottles, or reinforced composites using standard industrial equipment. Because the bifuran unit can be sourced from biomass, this gives plastics producers a pathway to partial bio-content without abandoning existing PET infrastructure.
What you could build
A drop-in bio-modified PET resin sold to bottle and fiber manufacturers seeking to improve sustainability credentials; the primary buyers would be beverage packaging converters and polyester textile producers under pressure from brand-owner sustainability commitments.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based chemical distributors, Fiber and textile manufacturers in the Shenandoah Valley, or packaging suppliers serving mid-Atlantic consumer goods brands would be natural contacts.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Monica Lotz, S. Richard Turner, Hans Eliot Edling, Kapil Kandel, Michael Salciccioli, Stephen Cohn, Alan A. Galuska, Javier Guzman, Edward E. Paschke
- Granted
- April 30, 2024
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 11970573
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.