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

拟议的规划活动旨在规划在佐治亚大学建立一个新的工业/大学合作研究中心，作为现有的生物塑料和生物复合材料中心。该中心目前包括爱荷华州立大学(ISU)和华盛顿州立大学(WSU)，这是该领域的行业和政府合作伙伴。佐治亚大学的网站打算在可持续包装领域为该中心提供额外的能力。CB2的现有成员将受益于UGA的教师专业知识以及正在开发的研究工具和基础设施。同样，UGA的网站将增加利用ISU和WSU的研究专业知识和设施的机会，这两所大学都在可持续发展、生物产品和生物塑料方面拥有强大的项目。CB2将一个新的协同工业部门带入CB2，通过促进跨越生物制品供应链的新的行业互动，使新成员和现有成员受益，并使CB2成员能够领导其部门用可降解的替代品取代现有的塑料和包装材料。学生将接受教育并接触尖端研究和外展机会，以便立即进入劳动力大军，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，促进从与当前工业制造系统兼容的可再生原料中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机会开发，重点是将农业和木本作物转化为能源和材料，这对美国持久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)，在那里学生参与可持续材料的研究。2014年，全球塑料产量达到2.99亿公吨，估计每年有5至12公吨塑料公吨进入我们的海洋，原因是垃圾管理不善(垃圾被丢弃或没有在垃圾填埋场等有组织的系统中处理)。随着人口、塑料消费和废物产生的增加，预计到2025年，累积向我们海洋的MMT将达到250 MMT。在今天生产的所有塑料中，约有40%用于包装，这些材料在使用后立即被丢弃。包装行业在全球拥有500多万名员工，预计到2018年销售额将达到1万亿美元，用可堆肥和/或可降解的持久性塑料材料取代持久性塑料材料的机会正在各种行业领域获得市场份额。除了CB2外，UGA网站还致力于开发可替代的可生物降解塑料，用于取代包装行业中使用的石油塑料(聚烯烃、聚酯、苯乙烯和聚氯乙烯)，包括涂料、泡沫、无纺布纤维和具有优异阻隔性能的新型热塑性塑料，用于薄膜、床单和过滤介质。

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.