The most global and one of the most terrible problems facing the Earth today is the abundance of plastic waste. According to the calculations of ecologists, at the moment there are about 5 billion tons of plastic in landfills and oceans, emitting toxic chemicals and polluting the habitats of animals and people. Scientists are looking for a way to eliminate this problem: someone creates ecological materials, and someone comes up with technologies to turn waste into fuel. A group of chemists from Purdue University recently shared their new development.
She has developed a process that can convert plastic waste into a substance similar to gasoline and diesel. The raw material for its creation is polypropylene, which is found in plastic toys, medical devices and food packaging. The researchers' idea is to burn propylene polymers and dissolve them in water that is between liquid and gaseous states.
It is noteworthy that the process must be carried out at a temperature of 380-500 degrees Celsius and a pressure 2300 times higher than above sea level. The transformation takes place within one hour - after this time, the researchers receive fuel of such purity that it can be used in cars and other equipment.
According to lead researcher Linda Wang, polypropylene accounts for about a quarter of the world's 5 billion tons of plastic waste. Their technology is capable of converting 90% of polypropylene into usable fuel. Exactly when the technology will be implemented on a large scale is unknown, but the developers hope for a lot of interest from the waste recycling industry.
Ramis Ganiev