Turning Plastic Waste into Clean Fuel: A Promising but Imperfect Solution The global recycling rate remains stuck at 9%, while an estimated 40% of plastic waste ends up in landfills and 34% is incinerated, contributing to a staggering 464 megatons of new plastic entering the market every year.
Amidst this plastic pollution crisis, researchers are exploring innovative ways to transform trash into clean energy.
A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences proposes an alkaline thermal treatment (ATT) process that converts mixed plastic waste into high purity hydrogen gas at a significantly lower temperature than traditional methods.