Collaboration aims to commercialize innovative PET recycling technology to accelerate global plastic waste solutions
Birch Biosciences, a startup focused on AI-powered enzymatic plastic recycling, today announced a global patent license agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to commercialize a novel enzymatic deconstruction processing technology that breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-a common plastic used in packaging and textiles-to recover valuable chemical building blocks.
The licensed technology, developed by NREL researchers, enables the rapid and efficient recovery of high-value PET monomers from enzymatic breakdown of PET. These monomers are then remanufactured into virgin-quality PET that can be used to create 100% recycled content products.
By securing licensing rights to this innovation, Birch Biosciences will integrate the NREL-developed downstream chemical processes into its proprietary biocatalytic recycling platform. The goal is to accelerate the commercialization of sustainable, closed-loop solutions for plastic waste, helping address a global environmental challenge.
"This licensing agreement represents a significant step forward in our mission to enable a circular plastic economy using biological solutions," said Dr. Johan Kers, co-founder and CEO of Birch Biosciences. "NREL's process complements our enzymatic recycling platform perfectly and will help us achieve scalable, low-cost plastic recycling."
"NREL is pleased to partner with Birch Biosciences to bring this technology to market," said Dr. Gregg Beckham, senior research fellow at NREL. "This is a great example of how national laboratories and industry can collaborate to address plastics recycling challenges with real-world impact."
Plastic pollution is a growing challenge, with more than 400 million tons of plastic produced globally each year and only a small fraction effectively recycled. Enzymatic recycling offers a promising alternative to traditional methods, avoiding the quality degradation of mechanical recycling and the high temperatures and toxic solvents often required in chemical recycling methods. NREL's chemical process works with the Birch enzyme platform to depolymerize untreated PET in hours under mild conditions, making it more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
This agreement underscores both organizations' commitment to advancing sustainable technologies and creating viable market solutions that support a circular economy.
About Birch Biosciences
Birch Biosciences is a cleantech company based in Portland, Oregon, developing AI-powered enzymatic recycling technologies to enable circular solutions for plastic waste. The company is focused on scalable, cost-effective biocatalytic systems that can recycle complex plastic streams into high-value, reusable materials. The company is backed by Y combinator, DARPA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611440258/en/
Contacts:
Media Contacts:
For Birch Biosciences: hello@birchbiosciences.com
