The best way forward in dealing with plastic today is to create a circular economy in which resources can be reused, rather than thrown away—and a new technology developed by an international research team may be an innovative solution to address the problem.
In the October edition of the journal Nature Catalysis, scientists from Oxford and other universities in the UK, in collaboration with research groups in China and Saudi Arabia, announced they had developed a simple method for retrieving valuable chemicals from plastic waste, so that recyclers may have a means of making more money from collecting plastic waste.
According to the study, the team’s new process involves breaking plastic down into its molecular components by “pulverizing” it and using microwaves. Doing so can release the core components of plastic materials, including hydrogen and pure carbon, which can then form high-value products, like carbon nanotubes.
To accomplish this feat, the team used a novel set of catalysts—a fancy word for materials that spur subsequent chemical reactions. Normally, waste recycling equipment will heat up the plastic itself to melt it down. In this case, however, researchers heated up their signature blend of catalysts first, which propelled the conversion process forward in fascinating new ways.