2G Bio-polyethylene from wood wastes

Abstract

Bio-polyethylene (BioPE) and biopolyethylene terephthalate (BioPET) are non-biodegradable plastics of great interest due to their low cost, versatility and chemical stability. Specifically, BioPE could substitute petroleum-based PE in massive applications like, e.g., containers, toys, shampoo bottles, pipes, housewares. BioPE is produced from ethylene obtained by catalytic dehydration of bioethanol. New processes were recently developed to produce bio-ethylene from first (1G) and 2G bioethanol. Bio-ethylene is an environmentally friendly product, and its production process involves simple equipment and renewable resources. 2G Bioethylene can be obtained by catalytic dehydration of 2G bioethanol from renewable sources, being a sustainable alternative for the production of biopolymers like BioPE, BioPP, BioPEG, and BioPVC.