The hydrogen plasma torch decimates plastic waste in the blink of an eye

Why sort the plastic when you can explode it in oblivion? It seems extreme, but it is the idea behind a new technology with the potential to “make the era of zero plastic sorting” – while also minimizing carbon emissions.

In a press release today, the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMMS) announced the development of a plasma torch that destroys plastic waste in less than 0.01 seconds – about ten times faster than a flashing. The torch is entirely powered by hydrogen and converts plastic waste mixed into ethylene and benzene, two primary chemical ingredients for plastic. The process is relatively inexpensive and practically carbon -free; If it is implemented, it could revolutionize the recycling of plastic, according to the researchers.

“In a world first, we have obtained a process to successfully convert mixed plastic waste into raw materials,” said program director Young-Hoon Song in the press release. “We will aim to solve the problems of waste and emissions thanks to continuous demonstrations and the marketing of this breakthrough.”

Too hot for plastic

The torch exploits the rapid kinetics and the energy transfer efficiency of the plasma – gas, ionized gas – to instantly zaper plastic in simpler compounds. The plasma used in the torch is extremely hot, between 1,832 and 3,632 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 and 2,000 degrees Celsius).

By providing adjustments to the reaction temperature and the delay, the researchers managed to respond to plastic waste to the torch in the way they wanted it, that is to say by transforming it into a raw material without explosion of plastic.

As a result, the team recovered around 70 to 90% of the chemical compounds that they hoped to extract mixed plastic waste, with an ethylene yield of 90%. After a certain purification, they found that more than 99% of the output was pure enough to be recycled as a raw material for plastic manufacturing.

A hot vision of plastic recycling

New technology is a significant difference in pyrolysis, the conventional method for the elimination of plastic. This process heats plastic waste up to a temperature of 1,112 degrees F (600 degrees C), leaving behind more than a hundred by-products with limited practical use. It is a popular way to treat plastic waste, and some oil companies have said that some by-products may be recycled as oil. Even South Korea, “one of the best recycling savings in the world” is strongly based on pyrolysis.

But the environmental impact of pyrolysis is far from ideal, some activists referring to its supposed advantages as a “fairy tale”. In light of this concern, the researchers hope that their plastic torch will push the transition from Korea to chemical recycling, which represents less than 1% of its current recycling program.

In addition to creating useful by-products, the torch is also propelled by hydrogen, which gives it “a significant carbon reduction potential”, explained the researchers. In addition, “pilot operations have already demonstrated an economic feasibility,” they added. The team will officially start demonstrations with an eye on marketing in 2026.

A sad reality is that only a small part of the plastics is recycled. If this plasma torch ends up going to great listening hours, it could change the situation for the way Korea – and other countries – waste plastic waste.