Professor Gert-Jan Gruter and Strong Durable Bio-Based Plastics

 

Gert-Jan Gruter is a professor at the University of Amsterdam and leads a team of researchers at the Industrial Sustainable Chemistry group. He is also the chief technology officer at Avantium, an organization which provides technologies for applications in energy chemicals and pharmaceuticals, which he worked at since 2003. He graduated with a Ph.D in chemistry from VU University Amsterdam. His current research is focused on producing fully bio-based rigid polyesters, but he has researched many other topics in the physical and organic chemistry fields.

Gruter's team recently developed a synthesis strategy to overcome the low reactivity of bio-based secondary diols and make polyesters that have very good mechanical and thermal properties. They also have high molecular weights making them ideal for durable bio-based plastics. In fact, the rigidity is the most crucial part to ensuring the success of these plastics. The plastics that were already available fell short at this point and their low reactivity made it very difficult to obtain long polymer chains. The team countered this by enhancing the ending steps on the process where the low reactivity inhibits the growth of the chains and allows for the higher weight materials to be produced.