Birch Biosciences, an AI-driven startup focused on enzymatic plastic recycling, has signed a global patent license agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to commercialize a cutting-edge enzymatic process for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a widely used plastic in packaging and textiles.
Developed by NREL, the licensed technology efficiently breaks down PET into its original high-value monomers, which can be remanufactured into virgin-quality PET. Unlike traditional recycling methods, this enzymatic approach works under mild conditions, avoiding quality loss, toxic solvents, and high energy use offering a scalable and sustainable alternative.
Birch Biosciences will integrate NREL’s downstream chemical processes into its AI-powered biocatalytic platform, accelerating the development of closed-loop recycling solutions.
This licensing agreement marks a major step toward a circular plastic economy using biological solutions,
Dr. Johan Kers, co-founder and CEO of Birch
NREL’s technology complements our platform and helps us scale low-cost, efficient recycling.
This partnership highlights the power of lab-to-market collaboration to solve real-world plastic waste challenges,
Dr. Gregg Beckham, senior research fellow at NREL
With over 400 million tons of plastic produced globally each year and only a fraction effectively recycled, this partnership aims to tackle a major environmental issue and reshape plastic as a renewable resource.
