We are now currently facing two major modern issues of “white pollution” and “greenhouse gas”. Fortunately, US scientists have proposed a new solution that would resolve the two aforementioned century-old problems at the same time.

The long lasting nature of plastic has always been a tricky topic for countries from around the world. Plastic products of various sizes would become smaller fragments after being exposed in the wind, sea, and UV rays, before transforming into microplastics that are difficult to trace. On the other hand, the convenience contemporary lifestyle is also accompanied by a significant level of manmade carbon dioxide emission, such as fossil-fuel transportation and thermal power plants, which constantly elevate greenhouse gases that would lead to the inevitable global warming.

Fortunately, Rice University has proposed a solution that kills two birds with one stone. The solution comprises of placing plastic under a temperature of 600 ºC for 45 minutes through pyrolysis that would transform plastic powder into nanoporous particles, which effectively absorb carbon dioxide in the air.

Source: Rice University

Each plastic particle can permanently store 18% of carbon dioxide equivalent to its own weight under room temperature, and release carbon dioxide when being heated to 75ºC, while 90% of pores would also open up again. The team pointed out that these are recyclable and reusable absorptive particles that can also be applied on fuels or construction materials, as well as yield wax that is an essential component of detergent and lubricant as a byproduct. Application range is relatively vast for the product.

As pointed out by the team, the common polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) are difficult in recycling, though they are perfect in converting into carbon-capturing particles. The scientific team estimates that the cost of installing new carbon capture equipment in pipelines would fall on roughly US$21/ton, and in comparison, the capturing of carbon dioxide from flue exhausts of existing power plants mainly utilizes compound amine at a cost of US$80-160/ton. The new material not only cuts down the cost by a great margin, but also facilitates a longer lifespan.

James Tour, a chemist at Rice University, commented that sources of carbon dioxide emission such as flue exhausts may be configured with the new material derived from plastic waste in the future in order to resolve the issue of plastic on the one hand, and handle carbon dioxide emission on the other hand.

 (Cover photo source: pixabay)