UNC Researcher Seeks to Reduce Plastic Waste Through Molecular Changes

Posted Sep 21, 2023
Frank Leibfarth, a University of North Carolina chemistry professor, says one of his lab’s goals is to make the plastics economy more sustainable. His research studies the materials that make up plastics, specifically polyethylene and polypropylene. Those are byproducts of refining crude oil and can be found in everything from packaging to bottles to toys. (Chapelboro.com)

Related: Campus Connections

Chase Rice Announces Hiatus From Touring, Admitting: ‘I’m Exhausted’
Chase Rice is stepping away from touring. In a poignant, vulnerable social media post, the country artist confessed that he was “exhausted. I haven’t been...
Tue Jan 13, 2026

UNC professor named National Book Award finalist
Almost every Thursday, Gabrielle Calvocoressi spends a couple of hours with students at the basketball courts near the Cobb Parking Deck. This weekly get-together, called...
Mon Jan 12, 2026

UNC student reflects on overcoming two bouts of cancer
Days away from his 25th birthday, Derrin Mallory is set to mark another major milestone this year. 2025 marks ten years since he first heard...
Sun Jan 11, 2026

Educator, Historian and UNC Statistician Freddie Kiger Inducted Into Order of Longleaf Pine
A Chapel Hill institution and longtime community contributor was recent recognized with the highest civilian honor in North Carolina. Members of the East Chapel Hill...
Sat Jan 10, 2026