Transforming single-use plastic into value-added products
S. Himmelstein | October 30, 2019About 300 million tons of the 380 million tons of plastics produced worldwide each year end up in landfills or the environment. An efficient route based on catalytic hydrogenolysis has been advanced for recovering and upcycling single-use polyethylene (PE) into liquid hydrocarbons to reduce this waste burden.
The process detailed in ACS Central Science uses a catalyst composed of platinum nanoparticles 
Electron micrograph of platinum nanoparticles deposited onto a perovskite nanocube. Source: Argonne National Laboratorydeposited onto perovskite nanocubes to break the carbon bonds in high molecular weight PE materials via selective hydrogenolysis. Tests confirmed that sequential hydrogenolysis occurs and results in selective formation of narrower high-quality liquid products, which can be used as ingredients in the manufacture of motor oils, waxes and other products.
Catalytic hydrogenolysis of PE was demonstrated with a single-use, commercial-grade plastic bag and other materials as feedstock. The method also generated less waste and toxic byproducts than other plastic recycling technologies.
Researchers from Iowa State University, Argonne National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Ames Laboratory, Cornell University, University of South Carolina, University of California Santa Barbara and Northwestern University contributed to this development.
Wow!
From plastic bag to fuel production - with less waste! Thank God that someone figured out how to do this. My hat is off to you!
Not to burst any bubbles but just how expensive would this process be? I noted the word "Platinum" in the article.
Is it even conceivable for wide scale use?
I would like to know a great deal more about this process and any other such process that would send plastics to a better end. I have had to send tons of plastic waste to the landfill and have found no better alternative. Such things as plastic solar pool water heaters that have disintegrated to point of leakage made from black ABS? Also old plastic 5 gal. buckets - here in AZ they last about a year or 2 before "biodegrading" and breaking. I send them to recycling but suspect they wind up in the landfill. Also old batteries, the AAs and AAAs that are so prevalent. I have saved years worth hoping someone would find a justifiable way to recover the raw materials from them but am always told best to just trash them. Doesn't seem right.
Oh Look, petroleum products without the dirty oil well. Keeping the same problem going until we die.