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Catalyst transforms plastic waste to valuable ingredients at low temperature:
For the first time, researchers have used a novel catalyst process to recycle a type of plastic found in everything from grocery bags and food packaging to toys and electronics into liquid fuels and wax.
[...] [The researchers] combined ruthenium, a metal in the platinum family, with cerium dioxide, used to polish glass among other applications, to produce a catalyst that caused the plastics to react at 473 degrees Kelvin. While still high for human sensibilities, it requires significantly less energy input compared to other catalyst systems.
The researchers say they were able to convert about 92 percent of the waste plastic into useful materials. As much as 77 percent of it became a liquid fuel, while 15 percent yielded wax, which should help make plastic recycling a more viable prospect.
This is far from the only plastic recycling method on the horizon. Just a few weeks ago a team from UC Berkeley reported a new process to turn polyethylene into a clingy new adhesive, while others are designing new plastics from the ground up to be easily recyclable.
Previously:
New Catalytic Process Turns Plastic Bags Into Adhesives
Journal Reference:
Yosuke Nakaji, Masazumi Tamura, Shuhei Miyaoka,et al. Low-temperature catalytic upgrading of waste polyolefinic plastics into liquid fuels and waxes, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental (DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2020.119805)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 13 2021, @05:35PM (3 children)
Congrats on the chemistry research, but I suspect it will not be practical.
The two issues with recycling are: poor/unknown quality of input material and cost to recycle versus creating from virgin material.
(Score: 4, Informative) by DannyB on Wednesday January 13 2021, @06:59PM (2 children)
The cost to originally create is actually much higher, because it includes the invisible cost to everyone of the pollution or solid waste of that new product. If those disposal/recycle costs were built into the original "virgin" cost, I suspect the economics might change.
When Lucifer was cast out of heaven down to Earth, theologians debate whether he landed in Florida or Texas.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday January 14 2021, @12:36AM (1 child)
Or they might not change, if the cost isn't that big.
The problem with charging for intangible externalities, is that it becomes another control knob. I still remember the complaints about carbon emissions markets pricing too low, not because pricing wasn't accurate, but because it was priced low enough that behavior didn't change.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday January 14 2021, @03:40PM
There are problems with building recycle cost in up front. Administrivia. Creeping corruption. Other problems. I don't like it.
I would love to hear better ideas. This topic as a sub-discussion has come up before on SN.
When Lucifer was cast out of heaven down to Earth, theologians debate whether he landed in Florida or Texas.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday January 13 2021, @07:08PM (7 children)
Fuel might not have much usefulness in the future of EVs, but no way to charge them.
Wax might have commercial uses.
* food substitute (genuine imitation cheese?)
* bikini waxing (women) zucchini waxing (men)
* wax museum statues of Trump
* candles once our electric utility distribution is permanently destroyed by foreign attack
When Lucifer was cast out of heaven down to Earth, theologians debate whether he landed in Florida or Texas.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 13 2021, @07:41PM (3 children)
The candles will be needed for light during the rolling blackouts if we commit completely to limited output, unreliable solar and wind green energy like is the current case in California.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday January 13 2021, @07:55PM (2 children)
Trump also tells us that the noise from windmills causes cancer. That is a reason we need to go back to clean coal.
When Lucifer was cast out of heaven down to Earth, theologians debate whether he landed in Florida or Texas.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 14 2021, @01:57AM (1 child)
Keep denying basic physics.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday January 14 2021, @03:34PM
Snow is predicted for tomorrow. (yes, really) I believe in science and meteorology. Therefore I will get ahead of the game by shoveling the sidewalk today before the snow hits tomorrow.
When Lucifer was cast out of heaven down to Earth, theologians debate whether he landed in Florida or Texas.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Wednesday January 13 2021, @08:26PM
Fuel might not have much usefulness in the future of EVs, but no way to charge them.
Wrong: jet aircraft aren't going electric any time soon. Those (and maybe ships) will be the last things to be migrated off fossil fuels.
candles once our electric utility distribution is permanently destroyed by foreign attack
We don't need to worry about that. Civilizations are never destroyed by foreign attacks: it's always caused by implosion (internal problems). The events of the 6th show that the US has this problem worse than many people expected.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday January 13 2021, @10:01PM
"liquid fuel" doesn't just mean gasoline. Most of the output from this would probably be suitable for use in diesel engines used in ships and trains. And there are several niches that will be a long time converting to electric. Long range aircraft and trains, and ocean freighters to name a few. Even if a huge breakthrough in battery tech happened tomorrow it would be decades before the last hydrocarbon fueled plane and ship was taken out of service simply due to the cost of replacing/retrofitting the existing craft.
And the waxs? don't underestimate it's uses. Worst case it will sequester carbon, just pump it into old oil wells for long term storage..
Though honestly anything that can convert plastics back in to a form that is useful is welcome. Consider that 70-80% of the currently recyclable plastics just end up in land fills.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday January 14 2021, @12:01AM
Yay for Musk, he'll be able to buy his rocket fuel at discounted prices (grin)
Any substance that has energy stored into it has its uses. That "fuel"? I bet there are ways to use it as feedstock to get new plastics. Granted, maybe more expensive than the one obtained from dinojuice (which is currently priced without including the cost of the damage to the environ), but with enough renewable energy installed we may get to the point of mining the garbage dump for the plastic buried there. After all, if the make-work keeps 80% of a "service based economy" busy, some extra work targeting the sustainability is not impossible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday January 13 2021, @09:35PM
and ~851R [wikipedia.org]
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."