FMSG: GOALI: Microbial Upcycling of Petrochemical Polymer Waste into High Value Protein-Based Polymers for a Circular Economy

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The sustainability of mankind’s endeavors will require future manufacturing of materials with closed-loop lifecycles, rather than the traditional linear extract-process-consumer-dispose paradigm. In this project, investigators will develop new technologies and conceptual frameworks towards enabling a regenerative circular bioeconomy for the plastics industry. The project proposes to develop new engineered microbes that will be able to grow on a plastic produced from a petrochemical feedstock, and produce protein polymers that have properties that are appropriate for use in a wide range of consumer products. The investigators at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute will partner with Conagen, Inc. on this project. The project will generate new biotechnologies and elucidate fundamental concepts that enable upcycling of nonbiodegradable plastic waste as well as design and synthesize protein-based polymers as a sustainable solution to petroleum-based plastics. Furthermore, the investigators will establish a "Biomanufacturing of Sustainable Materials" certificate program for undergraduate students as part of the Arch Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), which will provide hands-on training in the multidisciplinary skillsets required to engage in future manufacturing for a circular economy. This training program will also connect students with off-campus work experiences which will further provide career opportunities and workforce development.With support from 1) the Future Manufacturing Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, and 2) the NSF 2026 Fund Program in the NSF Office of Integrated Activities, the team of researchers from RPI will bioengineer bacterial strains that upcycle petrochemical plastic waste into de novo designed recombinant silk fibroins (RSFs), a class of structural proteins that can potentially exhibit material properties resembling a wide range of commonly used plastics. In parallel, using experimental and computational approaches, the investigators will examine the relationships between molecular/supramolecular structure, processing methods and conditions, and thermomechanical properties in these RSFs, with particular emphasis on identifying primary sequences that are suitable for melt processing into common thermoplastic products. With their industry partner, Conagen Inc., they will explore RSF bioproduction with the engineered microbes at pilot scales to provide a key link between lab-scale research efforts and commercial-scale biomanufacturing. These combined efforts represent a multidisciplinary approach towards solving grand standing challenges in the biomanufacturing of protein-based polymers for use as sustainable plastics in a circular economy. This project addresses priorities of the Future Manufacturing Program. The project also directly addresses several of the NSF2026 Idea Machine winning entries: "a world without waste", "designing ecosystems for the future", and "repurposing, recycling, renewable energy".This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.