PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is commonly used to make soda bottles and is among the most recyclable plastics, which is fantastic for helping to protect the environment. However, it is also one of the most abundant sources of microplastics, which make their way into our water, soil, and bodies.
Now, a research development team at Texas A&M University led by Manish Shetty has discovered a process that could reshape what is done with this plastic and how sustainable waste management operates in the future. The team developed a catalytic process using liquid organic hydrogen carriers that can effectively break down PET and other types of plastics.
"What we have done in this research is to break down condensation polymers to aromatic compounds that can be used as fuels," Shetty said in a school report.
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Definitely 👍 This development could be a huge step forward in tackling microplastics, helping to eradicate health risks and harm to the environment. It could also be beneficial to alternative fuel initiatives.
The system Shetty and Co. developed is particularly applicable in urban settings where significant amounts of plastic waste continue to pose challenges to waste management.
Cities with waste management systems that simply aren't able to keep up with all that trash could use this process to reduce how much plastic they have to process. Urban areas would then possess those valuable aromatic compounds that fuel industries might be interested in.
"One of the things that might happen is, as hydrogen becomes more available, especially for green hydrogen, which is through water electrolysis, we need the hydrogen carriers as a transport vector," Shetty said. "One such use would be waste management and valorization."
The newly developed process of breaking down plastic soda bottles and other everyday plastic items could be a boon to the reduction of plastic waste. It may also rework how the waste management industry operates, clear a path to more sustainable urban environments, boost alternative fuels such as green hydrogen, and create a cleaner environment free of plastic waste.
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