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As climate change continues to be one of the most pressing issues facing our planet, it’s increasingly important to find innovative ways to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. UBQ™ is a revolutionary innovation that is helping to do just that.
UBQ™ is a unique material that replaces plastics made from petroleum. By using previously discarded materials as its sole feedstock, UBQ™ is reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and preserving finite natural resources for future generations.
The production of traditional plastics made from petroleum involves extracting crude oil from the ground, refining it, and then using it to make plastic. This process generates a growing share of greenhouse gas emissions—by 2050, following the current trends of production, plastic manufacturing could use more than 12% of the planet’s remaining carbon budget. UBQ™, on the other hand, uses waste as its feedstock, diverting it from landfills and/or incinerators and reducing the need for new raw materials.
The production of UBQ™ involves a process known as waste conversion. This process takes various types of mixed waste, including all organics and unrecyclable materials, and converts it into a material that can be used to make a wide range of products. This process is not only environmentally friendly but also cost -effective, making it an attractive alternative to traditional plastic production methods.
Every ton of UBQ™ can replace one ton of oil-based plastics, which could have a significant impact on petroleum consumption. According to Plastics Europe, in 2018, the global plastic production was approximately 360 million tonnes, of which approximately 8% were produced from renewable resources such as bio-based materials, while the remaining 92% were made from fossil fuels such as crude oil and natural gas. This high demand for oil-based plastics has led to the extraction of billions of barrels of crude oil annually, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and depleting non-renewable resources. By replacing oil-based plastics with UBQ™, we can reduce the demand for crude oil—and therefore the extraction and consumption of non-renewable resources—while also reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, including methane, associated with the production of plastics from fossil fuels.
As a result of the oil extraction and plastic manufacturing processes, the production of each ton of conventional oil-based polymers has a negative impact on the climate, as measured by its carbon footprint. UBQ™, on the other hand, prevents up to 11.7 tons CO2eq for every ton produced. Producing UBQ™ is also a low-energy conversion process, using only a fraction of the energy required to produce conventional plastics. In 2021, UBQ’s solar array generated more renewable energy than was required to produce UBQ™.
By using waste as its feedstock, UBQ™ is also helping to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and incinerators, thereby further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.
UBQ™ is a prime example of how technology can be used to tackle some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing our planet. By replacing plastics made from petroleum with a material that is made from waste, UBQ™ is helping to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, support a circular economy, and preserve finite natural resources for future generations.
