Myth Busting Plastics Recycling
WHEN
Monday, May 16, 2022
12:00-1:00 p.m. PT
LOCATION
Online
Zoom
PRICE
Free
Check out this video to watch the Myth Busting Plastics Recycling.
How WWU undergraduates are helping the recycling industry develop critical solutions to the plastics waste problem
Brought to you by:
• WWU's Engineering and Design Department
• College of Science and Engineering
• WWU Alumni Association
Plastics recycling is on the verge of a paradigm shift in the US as we apply new policies and technologies to help solve the plastic waste problem. However, there are still numerous technical challenges that need to be overcome to reach a more circular economy.
WWU’s Professor John Misasi and undergraduates of the Plastics and Composites engineering program are working with HP and the Ocean Plastics Recovery project (OPR) to valorize plastic waste to ensure more plastics get recycled.
This presentation will walk you through the principles of plastics recycling and then discuss some of the unique recycling problems that WWU undergraduate researchers are working to solve. After, Professor Misasi and presentation moderator Scott Farling will open the floor for questions about their research, plastics recycling processes, and the plastics paradox!
Dr. John Misasi
Speaker
Dr. John Misasi is an Associate Professor of Plastics and Composites Engineering at Western Washington University. Professor Misasi focuses his teaching and research on the relationships between the chemical structures, manufacturing processes, and properties of industrially-relevant polymers and composites. His passion, however, is in educating next generation engineers and scientists about aspects of polymer and composite sustainability through hands-on curriculum and meaningful research experiences. This philosophy has led to successful collaborations with industry heavyweights like Nike, Boeing, and HP, and start-ups like Vartega Carbon Fiber Recycling and the Ocean Plastic Recovery Project. John’s ultimate goal with his teaching and research is to make the world a cleaner, more sustainable, and overall groovier place to be.
Scott Farling
Moderator
Scott Farling is a co-founder of the Ocean Plastics Recovery Project and has dedicated his career to recovering value from waste. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, concentration in Polymer Processing, and minor in Environmental Engineering in 1995. After more than a decade in the chemical industry, Scott shifted careers to focus on recovering value from complex waste streams at MBA Polymers, Agilyx Corporation, and Titus MRF Services, where his roles included operations management, process development, waste plastics research, and business development. Most recently, Scott has been invited to serve on the Technical Advisory Board for the Department of Energy’s BOTTLE Consortium – a multi-organizational research consortium working to accelerate innovations in energy-efficient plastics recycling technologies by 2030.
Questions and Accommodations
Contact the WWU Alumni Association for this event. Feel free to call (360) 650-3353 or email alumni@wwu.edu if you have any questions or comments.
There will be auto-captions available for this event.