Upcycling waste polystyrene to adipic acid through a hybrid chemical and biological process

Hyunjin Moon, Jason S. DesVeaux, Elisabeth C. Roijen, Christine A. Singer, Hannah M. Alt, Mikhail O. Konev, Clarissa Lincoln, Young-Saeng C. Avina, Nicolette R. Meyer, Stefan J. Haugen, Hyeongeon Lee, Kwangjin An, Joel Miscall, Kelsey J. Ramirez, Christopher W. Johnson, Davinia Salvachúa, Bruno C. Klein, Taylor Uekert, Allison Z. Werner, Shannon S. Stahl () and Gregg T. Beckham ()
Additional contact information
Hyunjin Moon: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Jason S. DesVeaux: BOTTLE Consortium
Elisabeth C. Roijen: BOTTLE Consortium
Christine A. Singer: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Hannah M. Alt: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Mikhail O. Konev: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Clarissa Lincoln: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Young-Saeng C. Avina: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Nicolette R. Meyer: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Stefan J. Haugen: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Hyeongeon Lee: Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
Kwangjin An: Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
Joel Miscall: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Kelsey J. Ramirez: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Christopher W. Johnson: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Davinia Salvachúa: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Bruno C. Klein: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Taylor Uekert: BOTTLE Consortium
Allison Z. Werner: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Shannon S. Stahl: BOTTLE Consortium
Gregg T. Beckham: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Oxidative catalytic depolymerization of polystyrene (PS) can produce benzoic acid, but the annual consumption of benzoic acid is ~40 times lower than PS. For this catalytic oxidation method to be a viable means to manage PS waste, benzoic acid should be converted to higher-volume chemicals. We demonstrate a hybrid chemical and biological process that uses PS as feedstock for production of adipic acid, a high-volume co-monomer for nylon 6,6 via benzoic acid. Mn/Br co-catalyzed autoxidation of PS to benzoic acid proceeds with a yield of up to 94% in a solvent mixture of benzoic acid and water. The PS-derived benzoic acid undergoes bioconversion at near-quantitative yield to muconic acid, which is readily converted to adipic acid through catalytic hydrogenation. Process modeling, techno-economic analysis, and life cycle assessment estimate an adipic acid minimum selling price of $3.18/kg, with a 61% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions relative to production from fossil fuels.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64561-1

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