Plastic pollution remains one of the most pressing environmental challenges, but a team of researchers at Northwestern University has developed an innovative process for recycling PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the most widely used plastic in bottles and packaging. This breakthrough relies on the use of air and moisture to break down the plastic quickly , economically, and in an environmentally friendly manner.
Conventional methods for recycling plastics are often expensive, require solvents, and generate toxic byproducts. Furthermore, many of these processes fail to efficiently recover materials , limiting their effectiveness and their ability to be scaled industrially. In this context, Northwestern researchers have found a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative.
An innovative technique to break down PET
The new process uses an inexpensive catalyst based on molybdenum and activated carbon to break the chemical bonds in PET, transforming it into monomers, the building blocks of plastics. Once the PET breaks down, the resulting fragments are exposed to air, where the moisture present in the atmosphere helps convert them into polyethylene terephthalate (TPA), a valuable substance that can be reused to create new PET products or more valuable materials.
This method is effective, safer, and faster than conventional processes. In laboratory tests, researchers were able to recover 94% of the TPA in just four hours , without generating any dangerous byproducts.
Benefits of a solvent-free process
One of the most notable features of this new approach is its sustainability. By eliminating solvents and harsh chemicals, the process is cleaner and less energy-intensive. The humidity in the air, a naturally available resource in large quantities, is sufficient to carry out the chemical reaction, further reducing the process’s environmental footprint.
This breakthrough also means that PET plastics recycling could be done without the need for pre-sorting . This offers a significant economic advantage, as the recycling industry could process mixed plastics without prior separation, thus reducing operating costs.
The future of PET recycling
Northwestern researchers plan to take this process to an industrial scale, which could change the way we manage plastic waste globally. By optimizing it for large-scale applications, they hope to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills and oceans , contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable future.
This breakthrough, published in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal Green Chemistry , is a clear example of how new technologies can effectively address the plastics problem, one of the most pressing environmental issues.
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Source: Northwestern University
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