The Journey of Kat Knauer: From Childhood Aspirations to Leading Plastic Recycling Initiatives
In the bustling city of Jacksonville, Florida, a young girl named Katrina Knauer, known to most as Kat, began her lifelong dedication to the environment. Her early achievements, such as winning a state science fair with eco-friendly solutions for fire ant deterrents, foreshadowed her future commitment to addressing global ecological issues.
Today, Knauer is a pivotal figure at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where she tackles the plastic waste crisis. Her role as the chief technology officer for the Bio-Optimized Technologies to Keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) consortium allows her to lead innovative research on recycling and sustainable polymer development.
Knauer’s academic and professional journey is marked by notable achievements. Her graduate work at the University of Southern Mississippi, under the guidance of Sarah Morgan, led to significant contributions including five first-author papers and initiatives to enhance recycling efforts. Post-PhD, she joined BASF, gaining insights into corporate sustainability before moving to the startup Novoloop, aligning with dynamic female colleagues in the recycling sector.
Her expertise is invaluable to BOTTLE, where she collaborates with major consumer companies like Amazon, Procter & Gamble, and Kraft Heinz, addressing their sustainability challenges. Gregg Beckham praises her as “an idea machine,” highlighting her ability to lead cross-disciplinary projects.
One of Knauer’s groundbreaking projects at BOTTLE involved a collaboration with Amazon to recycle complex polyesters. Utilizing an amine catalyst in methanol, her team successfully broke down these polymers, leading to the creation of the startup EsterCycle in 2024. This project exemplifies her capacity to transform ideas into viable business ventures, inspiring others like Julia Curley to advance professionally.
Knauer’s contributions extend to diverse projects, from analyzing microgravity’s impact on plastic-eating microbes to developing biodegradable fibers with The North Face. Her role at BOTTLE embodies the synergy of fundamental and commercial research, blending polymer chemistry and engineering with other scientific disciplines.
Passionate about fostering future leaders, particularly women, in STEM, Knauer emphasizes the importance of empathy and kindness in these fields. She remains optimistic about the growing support for sustainability in science and industry, committed to riding this wave of change as long as possible.
“With great performance comes great responsibility,” Knauer often states, a testament to her unwavering dedication to environmental sustainability.
Original Story at cen.acs.org