Page 14 - PERIODIC Magazine Issue 6

S pinouts that tackle

global challenges

The Department of Chemistry has an unrivalled record in producing spinout
companies that help to tackle a range of global challenges – from the plastics
crisis to improving global food security. Oxford Chemistry spin-out companies
are also creating jobs and investing heavily back into research in the Department,
by funding studentships, post-doctoral researchers and other support.

The pyrolysis of plastics to produce oil is a well understood
process, however, growth has been constrained by the
challenging characteristics of the oil limiting its customer
base. By improving the quality and economic value
of the pyrolysis output, OSF technology could be the
breakthrough needed to accelerate expansion of this
industry and make a global impact in reducing plastic
pollution.

In addition, because the OSF process can cope with
mixed plastics including contamination, it is well suited for
deployment to areas with less developed waste handling
systems to produce a product of local value, gasoline.

Professor Edwards, cofounder of OSF explains, “What’s
Oxford Sustainable Fuels – important about OSF is that it is founded on new ways
transforming plastic waste into of thinking about plastic waste as a global resource for
responsible recycling. My generation of chemists have
useful products spent their careers focussing on making plastics more
efficiently, with better properties, but now we must turn
Research by Professor Peter Edwards, Dr Tiancun Xiao and
Dr Zhaoxi Zhang is helping to tackle the problem of plastic our attention to dealing with the legacy of plastic waste
waste with the establishment of Oxford Sustainable Fuels, material.” Dr Tiancun Xiao, CEO of OSF says “It is our
a new spinout company launched by Oxford University aim to become a key element of the circular economy
Innovation in 2018 with £1M in seed investment from by enabling the economic transformation of waste to
GEM, a Shenzhen-based recycling firm. The investment valuable and needed products. To be a part of the solution
will be used to develop and scale up the Oxford-based in helping our global and local environment is a huge
company’s innovative technology, which can transform motivation for us. We believe this to be a key element in
waste from plastic, tyres and biomass into high quality the fight against plastic in the oceans by turning waste into
transportation fuels and chemicals. a valued raw material.”

OSF’s technology focuses on the stabilisation, purification
and chemical upgrading of oils produced by the thermal
decomposition of hydrocarbon based material also known
as pyrolysis. Of particular interest is the application of
this technology to produce high quality fuel and chemical
feedstocks utilising oils from plastics.

14
Periodic The Magazine of the Department of Chemistry