FSU researchers explore the future of sustainable sap
Florida State University Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Justin Kennemur has begun studying single-use plastics made from pine sap that could change the way that the world sees single-use plastic, and improve environmental sustainability.
A university research team, with Kennemur leading the way, discovered a brand new type of plastic, derived from the sap of pine trees. Kennemur believes that this could be a gateway discovery for new sustainable materials.
The sap from the tree that is used to produce the plastic does not harm the tree when extracted, making a once dangerous material now environmentally friendly from completely renewable sources.
The team published their research, and has been discovered by ACS Macroletters, a well-know macrobiology journal for research findings.
Kennemur has acknowledged the poor effects of plastic use on our planet, and has been committed to contributing to saving the Earth from irreversible climate change.
“91% of plastics today are produced from finite fossil fuels with increasing demand and limited geographic availability,” he said. “Producing materials from renewable resources, and particularly pine sap, which may be harvested without killing the tree, is a noteworthy effort.”
The molecule found in the sap is named alpha-pinene, which has been reported as infamously difficult to convert into plastic.
FSU doctoral student in polymer chemistry Mark Yarolimek led the study in synthetically modifying alpha-pinene into a compound called delta-pinene, making it easier to convert the sap to plastic.
“I put alpha-pinene through a series of chemical reactions, multiple purifications, and some trial and error, which eventually proved successful in converting it to delta-pinene,” Yarolimek said. “Once we obtained purified liquid delta-pinene, I converted that into the resultant plastic, poly-delta-pinene, through one final chemical reaction.”
By doing so, he was able to create a pine sap-based plastic, taking one more step in the right direction to climate action.
After the transformation of alpha-pinene into poly-delta-pinene, Yarolimek and Heather Bookbinder, an undergraduate researcher on the team until graduating in 2020, performed many chemical reactions in order to transform small liquid molecules into solid macromolecules, a procedure known as “polymerizations."
Through tests of durability, such as testing the melting point, how much molecular growth they could control and how long before it decomposes, the scientists took every step in order to determine whether the sap-based plastic could be a real replacement to non-biodegradable plastic that is destroying the environment.
“Instead of regressing to the 18th century when petroleum runs out, the switch to biobased plastics will allow us to push further forward into what comes next,” Yarolimek said.
The scientists are also studying the fate of the plastic, and how long its potential shelf life could be before resorting to biodegrading. They acknowledge that they might also need to develop a decomposition process via a chemical substance.
“Our research is invested in both. We make new materials, but we are also investigating their chemical recyclability,” Kennemur said. “We made this new plastic, but this is just the beginning. We need to also learn how to unmake the plastic and we have plans to start investigating that.”
Kennemur takes close to none of the credit, however. He applauds the student researchers and gives them a large portion of the credit, while stating that his role in the project was simply to guide them in the right direction.
“Being a part of this research team was probably one of the most educational and interesting experiences I had during my time at FSU,” Bookbinder said. “In my opinion, hands-on experience is the most engaging way to learn and has a long-lasting effect. I will talk about the research and my role in the experience for the rest of my life.”
The project was funded by FSU’s Planning Grant program, sponsored by the FSU Council on Research and Creativity.