A new process turns plastic waste into gasoline and dieselβ¦
21 reactions
A new process turns plastic waste into gasoline and diesel fuel
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a surprisingly simple way to turn polyethylene, the common plastic used in shopping bags and cutting boards, into gasoline and diesel-like fuels. The process uses inexpensive aluminum-based molten salts to break long plastic molecules into smaller hydrocarbons, producing about 60% gasoline under relatively mild conditions.
Source: Oak Ridge National Laborator
Polyethylene is widely used in products such as shopping bags and white plastic cutting boards, and large amounts of it ultimately end up as waste. The ORNL team's method combines the plastic with molten salts containing aluminum chloride. These salts perform two jobs at once, acting as both the reaction medium and the catalyst that drives the chemical conversion.
How Molten Salts Break Plastic Into Fuel
To understand why the process works, the scientists closely tracked the chemical reactions that convert the polymer into fuel molecules.
Using soft X-ray spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance, the team found that charged aluminum atoms bind with three other atoms, creating highly acidic catalytic sites. These sites can attack the long molecular chains that make up polyethylene and split them into smaller hydrocarbon molecules.
Additional experiments using isotopic labeling and neutron scattering showed how the structure of the starting polymer influences the resulting fuel. Simpler polymer chains tended to produce gasoline-like compounds, while more complex chains generated diesel-like fuels.
If the method can eventually be scaled beyond laboratory experiments, the researchers say it could contribute to U.S. energy security and strengthen industrial competitiveness.
Source:
Materials provided by Oak Ridge National Laborator .
Collected from Science Daily
Scientists have found a surprisingly low-temperature way to turn common plastic waste into gasoline and diesel-like fuels. Credit: Shutterstock
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a surprisingly simple way to turn polyethylene, the common plastic used in shopping bags and cutting boards, into gasoline and diesel-like fuels. The process uses inexpensive aluminum-based molten salts to break long plastic molecules into smaller hydrocarbons, producing about 60% gasoline under relatively mild conditions.
Source: Oak Ridge National Laborator
Polyethylene is widely used in products such as shopping bags and white plastic cutting boards, and large amounts of it ultimately end up as waste. The ORNL team's method combines the plastic with molten salts containing aluminum chloride. These salts perform two jobs at once, acting as both the reaction medium and the catalyst that drives the chemical conversion.
How Molten Salts Break Plastic Into Fuel
To understand why the process works, the scientists closely tracked the chemical reactions that convert the polymer into fuel molecules.
Using soft X-ray spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance, the team found that charged aluminum atoms bind with three other atoms, creating highly acidic catalytic sites. These sites can attack the long molecular chains that make up polyethylene and split them into smaller hydrocarbon molecules.
Additional experiments using isotopic labeling and neutron scattering showed how the structure of the starting polymer influences the resulting fuel. Simpler polymer chains tended to produce gasoline-like compounds, while more complex chains generated diesel-like fuels.
If the method can eventually be scaled beyond laboratory experiments, the researchers say it could contribute to U.S. energy security and strengthen industrial competitiveness.
Source:
Materials provided by Oak Ridge National Laborator .
Collected from Science Daily
Scientists have found a surprisingly low-temperature way to turn common plastic waste into gasoline and diesel-like fuels. Credit: Shutterstock
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comments
Wow a great breakthrough.. this will cause a surprise to petroleum producers π
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Thatβs an exciting breakthrough! Turning plastic waste into useful fuel could help tackle two major problems at once, pollution and energy demand. Letβs hope it can be scaled up safely and sustainably! π¬
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