Entrepreneurship in Polymer Chemistry.

Launching a startup company is like synthesizing a new molecule. There is a starting point and a general concept for how to achieve the desired end. Known steps may be taken, but a successful synthesis is rarely the result of the original plan and relies on perseverance and creativity. If done well, the starting molecule (idea) gives rise to a new final product (business). Having personally lived these journeys, the authors of this viewpoint distilled their combined experiences into relevant topics for scientific entrepreneurs. This viewpoint is not a how-to guide for launching a startup. Instead, relatable personal insights and potential best practices are shared to catalyze discussions around a topic of growing relevance to both the polymer community and workforce of the future.

Methane to bioproducts: the future of the bioeconomy?

Methanotrophs have been studied since the 1970s, but interest has increased tremendously in recent years due to their potential to transform methane into valuable bioproducts. The vast quantity of available methane and the low price of methane as natural gas have helped to spur this interest. The most well-studied, biologically-derived products from methane include methanol, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and single cell protein. However, many other high-interest chemicals such as biofuels or high-value products such as ectoine could be made industrially relevant through metabolic engineering. Although challenges must be overcome to achieve commercialization of biologically manufactured methane-to-products, taking a holistic view of the production process or radically re-imagining pathways could lead to a future bioeconomy with methane as the primary feedstock.

Addressing the Issue of Microplastics in the Wake of the Microbead-Free Waters Act-A New Standard Can Facilitate Improved Policy.

The United States Microbead-Free Waters Act was signed into law in December 2015. It is a bipartisan agreement that will eliminate one preventable source of microplastic pollution in the United States. Still, the bill is criticized for being too limited in scope, and also for discouraging the development of biodegradable alternatives that ultimately are needed to solve the bigger issue of plastics in the environment. Due to a lack of an acknowledged, appropriate standard for environmentally safe microplastics, the bill banned all plastic microbeads in selected cosmetic products. Here, we review the history of the legislation and how it relates to the issue of microplastic pollution in general, and we suggest a framework for a standard (which we call "Ecocyclable") that includes relative requirements related to toxicity, bioaccumulation, and degradation/assimilation into the natural carbon cycle. We suggest that such a standard will facilitate future regulation and legislation to reduce pollution while also encouraging innovation of sustainable technologies.