School of Engineering faculty member earns NSF CAREER Award for advancing sustainable plastics solutions

LAWRENCE — Plastic waste is one of the world’s most persistent environmental challenges. Ana Morais, University of Kansas assistant professor of chemical & petroleum engineering, is working to change that. 

Morais’ efforts earned her a National Science Foundation Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award, one of the nation’s highest honors for early-career faculty.

Morais received the prestigious award for research focused on improving how difficult-to-recycle plastics can be converted into useful products while advancing broader sustainability efforts through education and outreach.

“My research group studies and develops sustainable technologies for producing food and feed products, fuels and chemicals, with a focus on protecting resources for future generations,” Morais said.

Her CAREER project, which provides $500,000 of support over the next five years, centers on polypropylene, a plastic commonly used in products ranging from food packaging to automotive parts. Despite being produced in massive quantities, less than 1% of polypropylene waste is recycled in the United States.

“It’s not just about better collection or sorting, but about rethinking the underlying chemical processes that limit the conversion of waste plastics,” Morais said. “This project addresses why so much plastic, especially polypropylene waste, remains difficult to convert into valuable products.”

One major challenge is that polypropylene becomes extremely viscous in the molten state, making it difficult to process efficiently. Morais’ research investigates how carbon dioxide, under carefully controlled conditions, can improve those conversion processes, helping enable more efficient technologies for turning plastic waste into fuels, chemicals and other useful materials.

But for Morais, the CAREER award represents more than a research milestone.

“This award highlights the strength of KU Engineering and the impactful research being conducted here,” she said. “It reflects an environment that values innovation, supports early-career faculty and encourages research that bridges fundamental science with real-world applications.”

Over the next several years, Morais said she hopes the research will expand into a broader framework for improving plastic recycling and other complex material-conversion processes. A key goal is to develop insights that can guide future technologies and help scale more effective waste-conversion systems.

“Addressing these challenges requires a combination of fundamental science and rigorous experimental work, an approach this CAREER award is uniquely designed to support,” Morais said. “These efforts share a common goal: advancing efficient technologies through rigorous research while educating and training the next generation of engineers.” 

Education is a major component of the CAREER project itself. Morais is developing learning modules and hands-on activities for Kansas middle school students focused on plastic pollution, sustainability and engineering problem-solving.

“Middle school is a critical time when students begin forming views about science, technology and their ability to make a difference,” Morais said. “Introducing these topics at this stage helps show that science and engineering are practical tools for addressing real-world challenges. I hope students gain an understanding of plastic waste issues and, more importantly, a sense of empowerment that they can be part of the solution.”

For Morais, that combination of research, impact and education is what makes the work even more rewarding.

“What keeps me motivated is knowing that the work we do can make a real difference beyond the lab,” she said. “Being able to contribute to both meaningful solutions and the development of future scientists and engineers is what continually drives my commitment to this research.”