Planning Grant - University of Georgia: Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2)

拟议的规划活动旨在规划在现有的生物塑料和生物复合材料中心的佐治亚大学建立一个新的工业/大学合作研究中心。该中心目前包括爱荷华州立大学（ISU）和华盛顿州立大学（WSU），以及该领域的行业和政府合作伙伴。佐治亚大学的场地打算为该中心在可持续包装领域提供额外的能力。CB2的现有成员将受益于UGA教师的专业知识，以及UGA正在开发的研究工具和基础设施。同样，佐治亚大学的网站将增加利用ISU和WSU的研究专业知识和设施的机会，这两所大学在可持续性，生物产品和生物塑料方面都有很强的项目。为CB2带来一个新的协同产业部门，将促进跨越生物产品供应链的新产业互动，使CB2成员能够领导其部门用可降解替代品取代现有的塑料和包装材料，从而使新成员和现有成员都受益。学生将接受教育，并接触到最前沿的研究和拓展机会，以便立即进入劳动力市场，随时准备做出贡献并产生积极影响。该中心的愿景是开发知识，以促进与当前工业制造系统兼容的可再生原料生产一系列高价值产品，包括塑料、涂料、粘合剂和复合材料，从而促进农村发展和国家增长。该中心专注于可持续制造业领域的就业发展，专注于将农业和木本作物转化为能源和材料，这对美国持续创造就业机会至关重要。该中心还努力通过K-12教育工作者的参与来支持教育和多样性，支持在ISU和WSU共同设立的NSF本科生研究体验（REU），学生参与可持续材料的研究。2014年，全球塑料产量达到2.99亿吨，据估计，由于垃圾管理不善（垃圾被乱扔或未在垃圾填埋场等有组织的系统中处理），每年有5至12亿吨塑料流入海洋。随着人口、塑料消费和废物产生的不断增加，预计到2025年，海洋的累计排放量将高达2.5亿吨。在今天生产的所有塑料中，约有40%用于包装，这些材料在使用后会立即被扔掉。包装行业在全球拥有超过500万员工，到2018年预计销售额将达到1万亿美元，用可堆肥和/或可降解的材料取代持久性塑料材料的机会正在各个行业获得市场份额。除CB2外，UGA的基地主要围绕开发可替代的可生物降解塑料，可用于替代包装工业中使用的石油基塑料（聚烯烃、聚酯、苯乙烯和聚氯乙烯），包括涂料、泡沫、非织造纤维和新型热塑性塑料，这些塑料具有优异的阻隔性能，可用于薄膜、薄板制品和过滤介质。

The proposed planning activity seeks to undertake planning of the establishment of a new Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) site at the University of Georgia of the existing Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites. The center currently involves Iowa State University (ISU) and Washington State University (WSU), industry and government partners in the field. The University of Georgia site intends to provide additional capabilities for the center in the areas of sustainable packaging. Current members of CB2 will benefit from UGA faculty expertise and the research tools and infrastructure being developed at UGA. Likewise, the Site at UGA will increase the opportunities to leverage research expertise and facilities at ISU and WSU, both of which have strong programs in sustainability, bioproducts, and bioplastics. Bringing a new synergistic industry sector to CB2 will benefit both incoming and current members by facilitating new industrial interactions spanning the bioproducts supply chain and enable CB2 members to lead their sectors in replacing existing plastic and packaging materials with degradable alternatives. Students will be educated and exposed to cutting edge research and outreach opportunities to enter the workforce immediately ready to contribute and have positive impacts. The vision of the center is to develop knowledge that will facilitate the production of an array of high-value products, including plastics, coatings, adhesives, and composites, from renewable feedstocks that are compatible with current industrial manufacturing systems and thereby promoting rural development as well as national growth. The center focusses on the development of jobs in the area of sustainable manufacturing, focusing on conversion of agricultural and woody crops to energy and materials which are crucial to lasting job creation in the United States. The center also strives to support education and diversity through engagement of K-12 educators, supporting a NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) co-located at ISU and WSU where students participate in research on sustainable materials. In 2014, global plastic production reached 299 million metric tons (MMTs), with 5 to 12 MMTs estimated to reach our oceans annually due to mismanaged waste (waste that is littered or not handled in an organized system like a landfill). With increasing population, plastic consumption, and waste generation, a cumulative input of up to 250 MMTs into our oceans is predicted by 2025. Of all the plastics manufactured today, about 40% are used in packaging, material that will be immediately thrown away after use. The packaging industry employs over 5 million people worldwide and will have estimated sales of $1 trillion by 2018, and the opportunities to replace persistent plastic materials with those that are compostable and or degradable are gaining market share in a variety of industry sectors. The UGA site addition to CB2 is centered around developing alternative, biodegradable plastics that can be used to replace petroleum-based plastics (polyolefins, polyesters, styrenics, and polyvinyl chloride) used in the packaging industry, including coatings, foams, nonwoven fibers, and novel thermoplastics with excellent barrier properties for films, sheet goods, and filtration media.