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

20/20 To Air 'Justice For Faith' Friday, Oct. 30
On Sept. 7, 2012, University of North Carolina sophomore Faith Hedgepeth was found murdered in her off-campus apartment, leaving her family and friends devastated and...
Fri Oct 30, 2026

UNC graduate student took data science to the hardwood
As an undergraduate student at North Carolina, Boris Crnjak homed in on statistics and data science as his fields of study. “I’ll figure out the...
Thu Oct 29, 2026

Video: Carolina Calling - Eric Church Interview
Tommy Ashley and Joey Powell of inside Carolina speak with Tar Heel super-fan and 11-time Grammy nominee Eric Church about the Bill Belichick experiment in...
Tue Oct 27, 2026

Former UNC student Faith Hedgepeth's killer sentenced to life in prison without parole
A jury found Miguel Salguero-Olivares guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, first-degree sexual offense, and first-degree burglary in the killing of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth...
Sat Oct 24, 2026