Scientists aim to convert plastic into fuel

A team of scientists from the University of California, Irvine, and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry in China are looking to turn polyethylene into a fuel similar to diesel.

The goal is to break the molecules in the plastic down to their original components – hydrogen and carbon, to rearrange them into a usable form.

The technique involves breaking down the plastic to a molecular level, but requires three additional ingredients: an alkane – a cheap by-product of oil refinement – and the two more expensive catalysts of iridium and rhenium.

“The process does not involve any harmful chemicals and does not create waste products,” said Zhibin Guan of the University of California, Irvine, one of the authors of the study.

In current trials, the plastic to catalyst ratio is 30 to 1. The researchers said they needed to increase this to 10,000 to 1 or better.

Source: www.prw.com