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

UNC expands support for military and student veterans with success center
UNC-Chapel Hill unveiled its expanded Military and Veteran Student Success Center this week, a move aimed at better supporting students who are vets and their...
Sun Nov 16, 2025

Get to know the trees on UNC's campus
We seek refuge from the hot sun underneath them, stop and take photos when they change colors in fall and marvel at their height. There...
Sun Nov 16, 2025

Archaeological digs at UNC's New East yield centuries-old relics
On a sunny morning in late April, a group of North Carolina faculty and students hunched down on the ground outside New East and sifted...
Wed Nov 12, 2025

James Blizzard is living out his Carolina dream
When James Rolf Blizzard ’24 was 5 years old, his dad took him to a Carolina basketball game at the Smith Center. There Rolf Blizzard...
Mon Nov 10, 2025