Scientists have transformed plastic trash into a material that eats carbon

Experts believe that global production and elimination of plastics emit nearly 2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. The vast majority of these materials are found in discharges, but what happens if we could reuse some of this waste to eliminate heating emissions from the atmosphere of the atmosphere?

A team of researchers in Denmark has discovered a way to do this exactly. In a new study, published on September 5 in the journal Science Advances, they transformed plastic into plastic # 1 decomposed – also known as PET plastic (polyethylene -telephtalate) – in an effective carbon capture material.

“The beauty of this method is that we solve a problem without creating a new one,” said the main author Margarita Poderyte, a doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, in a press release. “By transforming waste into a raw material that can actively reduce greenhouse gases, we make an environmental problem in the solution to the climate crisis.”

Two big problems, an innovative solution

As global temperatures are increasing, the need to alleviate warming pollutants from the planet – like carbon dioxide – is increasingly urgent. This has led scientists to develop ways to actively eliminate CO2 from the atmosphere in addition to reducing emissions. At the same time, the growing quantity of plastic waste in discharges, the oceans and almost everywhere else on earth has led to a global crisis of microplastics which threatens human and ecosystem health.

Podotherte and her colleagues hope that their new approach to the capture of carbon can kill two birds with a stone. Thanks to a chemical reaction known as aminolysis, they recycled PET plastic – mainly used in plastic bottles and food packaging – in a CO2 sorbent called Baeta.

This material has a powder structure which can be transformed into pellets which are very effective in grasping CO2 molecules. A Baeta book can absorb up to 0.15 pounds of CO2, which is quite effective compared to most current commercial systems.

The Baeta is also more resistant to heat than other Amine Sorbants, remaining stable at temperatures up to 482 degrees Fahrenheit (250 degrees Celsius). However, it requires greater thermal energy entry to reach maximum CO2 absorption and release the captured carbon for storage or conversion to other resources. This can result in higher energy costs, but researchers think that Baeta can provide an evolving and profitable carbon capture system.

Press a pernidely abundant resource

Humans produce immense amounts of plastic waste for pets, a large part of which accumulates in the oceans. Researchers recently discovered 27 million tonnes of floating plastic particles in the North Atlantic, whose ecosystem impacts are still largely unknown.

“If we can get our hands on the very decomposed pet plastic floating in the oceans of the world, it will be a precious resource for us because it is so well suited to the university with our method,” said Podotherte. She and her colleagues hope that Baeta can help eliminate marine plastic pollution while attacking the climate crisis.

“We are not talking about autonomous problems, and the solutions will not be either,” said co-author Jiwoeong Lee, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. “Our equipment can create a very concrete economic incentive to clean the plastic oceans.”