Conference Speakers

Julia Curley, Ph.D.

Founder, CEO, EsterCycle LLC

BIOGRAPHY

Julia Curley received her PhD in chemistry from Yale University in 2021 before joining the BOTTLE Consortium at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher. At NREL, she led the development of a low-energy mixed plastics recycling process that is the underlying technology of EsterCycle. Dr. Curley spun out EsterCycle as a startup company in 2024 and is the founder and CEO. She is a current member of the West Gate and Venture for ClimateTech accelerator programs. 

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EsterCycle

Hospitals and laboratories generate enormous amounts of PPE nonwoven plastic waste, most of which is incinerated. Polyethylene terephthalate is used extensively in nonwovens, and there is significant interest in using biobased polyesters such as polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoates to reduce the footprint of these essential materials. EsterCycle is a low cost and emissions chemical recycling technology that can handle biohazard contamination and break down mixed polyester nonwovens for circulation back into the supply chain.