{"id":96613,"date":"2026-01-14T04:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T08:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=96613"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T20:47:07","slug":"plastic-recycling-startup-builds-on-utoledo-developed-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/01_14_2026\/plastic-recycling-startup-builds-on-utoledo-developed-technology","title":{"rendered":"Plastic Recycling Startup Builds on UToledo-Developed Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

A plastic-recycling business based on technology developed in a campus lab is scaling up.<\/p>\n

Since The University of Toledo\u2019s Dr. Sridhar Viamajala co-developed a novel technology to recycle polypropylene in 2021, he\u2019s been advancing its commercial potential with the support of the UToledo Business Incubator.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. Sridhar Viamajala, center, works with contractors Jonathan Wroblewski, left, and Mikye Boyd, right, at his plastic-recycling startup company Plastinuva. Wroblewski and Boyd are recent alumni of the College of Engineering<\/p><\/div>\n

Now Viamajala\u2019s startup company Plastinuva \u2014 formerly Avani Enterprizes \u2014 also is receiving support from Akron’s Bounce Innovation Hub. Plastinuva is one of a dozen polymer and materials science startups selected to participate in the hub\u2019s inaugural Synthe6 Materials Accelerator.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth the incubator and now the accelerator have been really helpful,\u201d said Viamajala, a professor with academic interests in bioprocessing for bioproducts and biofuel production at the UToledo College of Engineering. \u201cI started this business as a tech guy, and I didn\u2019t know anything about business development. The incubator and the accelerator have been great resources as I learn to navigate that side of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Polypropylene is a form of plastic that\u2019s utilized extensively, particularly in the food and healthcare industries. But the vast majority of polypropylene \u2014 more than 99% \u2014 winds up in landfills, reflecting what has long been an intractable recycling problem for the type of plastic noted with the standard recycling code No. 5.<\/p>\n

Plastinuva breaks ground in introducing a new recycling process for polypropylene, specifically a patent-pending method of separating it out of a mixed waste stream. The separated polypropylene is then processed into a like-new powder that is of interest to manufacturing end-users that specialize in producing new products using recycled plastics.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlastinuva bridges a gap in the middle of the supply chain,\u201d Viamajala said. \u201cWe buy waste plastic that would otherwise head to the landfill, then we sell to companies that are looking to create new products using recycled plastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The

The College of Engineering\u2019s Dr. Sridhar Viamajala shows before-and-after samples produced by his plastic-recycling startup company Plastinuva.<\/p><\/div>\n

Viamajala has been advancing the business steadily since 2021. In addition to ongoing support through the UToledo Business Incubator, he received additional funding and support<\/a> through the National Science Foundation in 2023 and the Ohio Department of Development in 2024.<\/p>\n

Last year he developed a supply partnership to receive waste plastic from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also began renting an on-campus lab through the Business Incubator, allowing his company to refine its process while scaling up its production of polypropylene powder \u2014 a key consideration for the end users with little practical use for the single-pound batches on which the technology was developed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe began processing 10-pound batches in the fall, and now we\u2019re on track to begin processing 100-pound batches this spring,\u201d he said. \u201cAt that point, we\u2019ll be well positioned to sell to small vendors and to establish relationships with larger vendors that can begin to evaluate our powder for use in their products.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Synthe6 Materials Accelerator has brought additional support to Plastinuva since September, including funding, weekly workshops and access to both assigned mentors and additional polymer industry experts who reflect Akron\u2019s status as the \u201cRubber Capital of the World.\u201d<\/p>\n

The one-year accelerator program is supported by the Greater Akron Polymer Innovation Hub, which reflects regional industry strengths similarly to the Northwest Ohio Glass Innovation Hub that counts UToledo as a lead educational partner.<\/p>\n

\"Plastinuva

Plastinuva utilizes a patented method of separating polypropylene out of a mixed waste stream, as shown in the sample on the left, then processing it into the like-new powder shown in the sample on the right.<\/p><\/div>\n

“The Synthe6 Materials Accelerator is almost like an accelerated M.B.A.,\u201d Viamajala said. \u201cEvery week we cover a topic like how to protect intellectual property or how to write a grant proposal, while my mentors are leveraging their personal expertise to help me navigate the next steps for Plastinuva.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Viamajala continues to work closely with the UToledo Business Incubator, which supports local entrepreneurs with resources and development opportunities.<\/p>\n

He landed the top prize in the incubator\u2019s annual pitch competition<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re extremely proud to see Plastinuva continue its upward momentum through the Synthe6 program,\u201d said Pamela Moore, director of the UToledo Business Incubator. \u201cSridhar\u2019s progress demonstrates the long-term economic impact that incubator-supported startups can have on our region. By providing the resources, mentorship and environment entrepreneurs need to thrive, we\u2019re not just helping build strong companies, we\u2019re cultivating the future of northwest Ohio\u2019s innovation economy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Dr.<\/a>

The College of Engineering\u2019s Dr. Sridhar Viamajala co-developed a novel technology to recycle polypropylene that\u2019s utilized by his company Plastinuva.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":908,"featured_media":96614,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,32,34,1,3,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96613"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/908"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96613"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96631,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96613\/revisions\/96631"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}