Greenhouse gases and plastic waste are the targets of a USC chemistry startup.
Greenhouse gases and plastic waste are the targets of a USC chemistry startup.
Postdoctoral scholar and Catapower Inc. director Zhiyao (Yao) Lu describes the company’s technology as a molecular robot that turns vegetable oil into renewable fuels and biodegradable plastic.
“We started as a team of scientists tackling two of the world’s most prominent environmental challenges — the relentless rise of greenhouse gases and the conglomeration of plastic waste in the oceans,” Lu said, referring to well-documented plastic patches the size of Australia now floating in the Pacific Ocean. Approaching the problem as a chemist, he wanted to tackle both problems at once.
Catapower’s momentum was underscored in March when Lu’s presentation earned the top 2018 USC Wrigley Sustainability Prize of $7,000. The annual competition promotes business concepts that help the environment. In weeks leading up to the competition, students drafted business plans and honed their pitches while assigned mentors help them turn their ideas into action.
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