University of Amsterdam builds reactor converting mixed plastic to oil
Technology
A team from the University of Amsterdam has built a new reactor that can turn mixed plastic waste, even the dirty, unsorted stuff, into high-quality oil in just 30 minutes.
Their Solvothermal Liquefaction (STL) technology skips all the sorting headaches and will get its first real-world test at a Spanish waste facility this summer.
Solvothermal liquefaction yields oil for plastics
The STL process uses special catalysts to break down plastics fast, creating gas, char, and an oil packed with building blocks for making brand-new plastics (no quality loss).
Thanks to its mobile, skid-mounted design, the reactor can be moved wherever it's needed.
If this takes off, it could seriously cut down on plastic piling up in landfills and oceans.