John Blackwell, Ph.D. – Leonard Case Jr. Professor Emeritus, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University

Dear Colleagues:

Most of us have the opportunity to participate in recycling programs when we dispose of our household trash. CWRU has an extensive recycling program. But what happens to “recyclables” after collection?

Some of them – cans, glass, paper and garden waste – can be dealt with relatively easily. Plastics, however, pose an especially severe challenge. What, can be done with the roughly 35 million tons of plastic (in 2015) that finds its way into U.S. municipal solid waste each year? Until the beginning of this year a lot could be sent to China, but now the Chinese government has put a halt to that import business.

The remaining options for dealing with these plastics are recycling, waste-to-energy (burning), or landfill. Recycling seems the best option from the point of view of conservation and sustainability; but collection, sorting and cleaning are expensive. Recycling plastics also presents significant scientific problems, and raises issues that are environmental, economic and political. Basically, it is easier and cheaper to use new materials, and recycled plastics usually have inferior properties to those of the starting materials.

Join us as Professor Blackwell brings his expertise from over 40 years of research in polymer physics to bear on explaining the obstacles and alternatives.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Professor John Blackwell earned his Ph.D. from the University of Leeds and joined the faculty of CWRU in 1969 as a visiting assistant professor. He joined the tenure-track faculty in 1971, was promoted to full Professor of macromolecular science in 1977, served as department chair for a decade, and took emeritus status in 2012. His well over 40 years of research in polymer physics was performed principally by X-ray analysis and computer simulation. He specialized in determination of polymer structures at the molecular level, and is known for his work on polyesters, polyurethanes, cellulose and chitin, done with the support of agencies that included NSF, NIH and DoD. Over the years he has developed an extensive knowledge of polymer properties necessary for specific applications: plastics, fibers, rubber, etc.

Professor Blackwell has spent time as a visiting professor at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London, the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique in Grenoble, and the University of Freiburg. Over the course of his career he has been a member of and has done substantial service work for the American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, American Crystallography Society and Biophysics Society. Since retirement he has continued to teach a SAGES course, which has plastics waste disposal and recycling as its topic.

Where We Meet

The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our programs are open to all and no registration is required. We usually meet in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library.

* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. You can get from the Severance garage to the library without going outside. Near the entry gates – just to the right if you were driving out – there is a door into a corridor. Walk down the corridor and there will be another door. Beyond that door you’ll find the entrance to an elevator which goes up to an entrance right inside the doors to Kelvin Smith Library.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

November 23: Thanksgiving break.

November 30: Just How Powerful is Putin? With Stephen Crowley, Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science, Oberlin College.

December 7: Union Decline in a Populist Era: The Experience of Western Democracies. With Chris Howell, James Monroe Professor of Politics, Oberlin College.