A team at UW-Madison has a plan to turn plant waste into plastic. Some of the goals are to cut greenhouse gas emissions and create economic opportunities in rural Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Energy Institute got $4 million from U.S. Department of Energy to turn a fibrous plant material called lignin into nylon — used to make textiles, carpets and molded plastic — for roughly the same cost as the petrochemical version but with only a fraction of the pollution. If successful, the project will demonstrate the commercial viability of a lab-tested process that could be key to developing sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, says Shannon Stahl, a UW-Madison professor of chemistry who is leading the project. Photo by James Runde.

A team at UW-Madison has a plan to turn plant waste into plastic. Some of the goals are to cut greenhouse gas emissions and create economic opportunities in rural Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Energy Institute got $4 million from U.S. Department of Energy to turn a fibrous plant material called lignin into nylon — used to make textiles, carpets and molded plastic — for roughly the same cost as the petrochemical version but with only a fraction of the pollution. If successful, the project will demonstrate the commercial viability of a lab-tested process that could be key to developing sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, says Shannon Stahl, a UW-Madison professor of chemistry who is leading the project. Photo by James Runde.

Join Pam Jahnke for the latest farm news. Heard daily on WOZN 96.7 FM and 1670 AM in Madison Wisconsin from 5-6am. Also heard on affiliate stations all over Wisconsin.

Join Pam Jahnke for the latest farm news. Heard daily on WOZN 96.7 FM and 1670 AM in Madison Wisconsin from 5-6am. Also heard on affiliate stations all over Wisconsin.

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