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The discarded plastic could be used to power cars in the future through a groundbreaking process developed by scientists at Swansea University. They managed to turn unwanted plastic into hydrogen, which made cars run.
Dr. Moritz Kuehnel, from the University's Department of Chemistry, explained to the BBC how the light absorbing material was added to the plastic before it was placed in an alkaline solution and then exposed to sunlight, which creates hydrogen.
He stated that this process could be less expensive than recycling because any type of plastic can be used and it is not necessary to clean it first.
"Every year, there is a lot of plastic used – billions of tons – and only a fraction is recycled. We are trying to find a use for what is not recycled, "he said.
Most plastic bottles are PET [polyethylene terephthalate]that can be recycled but often end up being burned or thrown into a landfill.
Dr. Kuehnel said: "But even if you recycle it, it must be very pure – so, only PET, it should not add anything … and it must be clean, without grease, without oil.
"You may need to wash it, which is very expensive, and even if you do all that, the plastic you get is not always as good as virgin material."
He added, "The beauty of this process is that it is not very difficult. This can degrade all kinds of waste.
"Even if there is food or a little fat in a margarine tub, it does not stop the reaction, it makes it better.
"The process produces gaseous hydrogen. You can see bubbles coming out of the surface. You can use it, for example, to power a hydrogen car.
However, he warned that the deployment of the project at the industrial level could still take years.
Dr. Kuehnel added that the work, funded by the Research Council for Physical Sciences and Engineering and an Austrian petrochemical company, also showed how plastic remains could be recycled to make new plastics.
Only one part of PET is used to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide – the other part remains intact and stays in the solution.
He said, "We get hydrogen fuel and we get a chemical that we can use to make a new plastic.
"We do not manufacture a complete new plastic, we only use half of the material to make a new plastic and the rest can be recycled – a bottle of clean, transparent plastic water.
The discarded plastic could be used to power cars in the future through a groundbreaking process developed by scientists at Swansea University. They managed to turn unwanted plastic into hydrogen, which made cars run.
Dr. Moritz Kuehnel, from the University's Department of Chemistry, explained to the BBC how the light absorbing material was added to the plastic before it was placed in an alkaline solution and then exposed to sunlight, which creates hydrogen.
He stated that this process could be less expensive than recycling because any type of plastic can be used and it is not necessary to clean it first.
"Every year, there is a lot of plastic used – billions of tons – and only a fraction is recycled. We are trying to find a use for what is not recycled, "he said.
Most plastic bottles are PET [polyethylene terephthalate]that can be recycled but often end up being burned or thrown into a landfill.
Dr. Kuehnel said: "But even if you recycle it, it must be very pure – so, only PET, it should not add anything … and it must be clean, without grease, without oil.
"You may need to wash it, which is very expensive, and even if you do all that, the plastic you get is not always as good as virgin material."
He added, "The beauty of this process is that it is not very difficult. This can degrade all kinds of waste.
"Even if there is food or a little fat in a margarine tub, it does not stop the reaction, it makes it better.
"The process produces gaseous hydrogen. You can see bubbles coming out of the surface. You can use it, for example, to power a hydrogen car.
However, he warned that the deployment of the project at the industrial level could still take years.
Dr. Kuehnel added that the work, funded by the Research Council for Physical Sciences and Engineering and an Austrian petrochemical company, also showed how plastic remains could be recycled to make new plastics.
Only one part of PET is used to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide – the other part remains intact and stays in the solution.
He said, "We get hydrogen fuel and we get a chemical that we can use to make a new plastic.
"We do not manufacture a complete new plastic, we only use half of the material to make a new plastic and the rest can be recycled – a bottle of clean, transparent plastic water.
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