ScienceScienceDailyA new process turns plastic waste into gasoline and diesel fuel
US scientists have found a relatively simple way to convert common plastic waste like shopping bags into usable 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.
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a method to turn polyethylene plastic waste into gasoline and diesel-like fuels using molten salts.
The process achieved a gasoline yield of about 60 per cent at temperatures below 200 degrees Celsius, which is milder than conventional plastic-to-fuel methods.
The researchers have applied for a patent and say the method, if scaled up, could contribute to energy security, though it is still at the laboratory stage.
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