Turning plastic waste into aviation fuel for cheap now possible
What's the story
China has proposed a new chemical process to convert plastic waste into aviation fuel for cheap, according to a study from the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fudan University. The innovative method focuses on hydrogenolysis of polyolefins, which are mainly polythene and polypropylene. These materials make up over 60% of plastic waste but are notoriously resistant to breakdown.
Process
The technique works under relatively mild conditions
The new technique works under relatively mild conditions and provides tunable product selectivity.
This means researchers can guide the conversion process toward specific hydrocarbon ranges.
The method is similar to carefully cutting a fishing net into smaller pieces, avoiding shredding it into unusable fragments while ensuring the pieces are not too long for practical use.
Catalyst significance
Metal catalysts are essential for the process
The new method relies on metal catalysts, which are essential for selectively cleaving and rearranging carbon-carbon bonds.
These active sites are key to making the process work.
However, a major challenge has always been associated with this approach, highlighting the importance of further research and development in this area.