Burned as waste for years, this overlooked plant material is poised to reshape how nylon gets made

Most people have seen nylon listed as a material on their clothing tags, but nylon is used in an array of other products, too, including automotive parts, wire insulation and medical supplies.

Unfortunately, one of the building blocks of nylon, adipic acid, is produced from petroleum-derived benzene through energy-intensive processes and has a rather high carbon footprint.

However, there may be a better way to produce this ubiquitous polymer. ...