Plastic learned to turn into liquid fuel – Lenta.ru

Chinese chemists have developed an efficient method for polyethylene transformation into liquid fuel. If the new process will run on a commercial scale, people will be able to drastically reduce the volume of plastic waste in the world. On the discovery reported in the journal Science Advances, and short of it he told Gizmodo

Polyethylene is the most common plastics. Annually produces more than one hundred million tons of the substance. Due to the high inertia polyethylene hardly reacted with other materials, which increases the time of its decomposition in nature to hundreds of years. Scientists have long been trying to find a way to destroy the pure plastic, since the burning leads to the release of hazardous substances, and the transportation to the world’s oceans destroys the biosphere.

Huang Zheng (Zheng Huang) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues presented the results of four years operation. They have created a method of decomposition at temperatures of 150 degrees with addition of cheap organometallic catalyst – for example, petroleum ether iridium. The catalyst weakens the bonds between carbon and hydrogen in the plastic, accelerating decomposition. In addition, the resulting output material is suitable for use as a liquid diesel fuel.

Scientists were able to expand the number of packets and bottles. However, for use on an industrial scale new method has not good: the ratio of plastic to the catalyst still makes thirty pieces to one, and for the commercial launch is planned to be ten thousand or a million to one. Also, you will need to replace the iridium (rare and expensive platinum group metal) for something cheaper.

In March 2016 Chemists in Japan have discovered a new species of bacteria (Ideonella sakaiensis 201, the F6), which are capable of degrading plastic (at least polyethylene – the most common form of it). The discovery of these bacteria gives hope for progress in bioremediation (using waste organisms).