Kathmandu. Increasing plastic waste around the world poses a serious threat to the environment. Many everyday items are made of plastic. It is very difficult to reuse when it becomes dirty.
However, scientists have found a solution. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, USA, have found a way to convert this plastic into fuels such as gasoline and diesel.
Scientists conducted their experiments on polyethylene, one of the most widely used plastics in the world. In the laboratory, the researchers used a simple mixture of hot salt to break it down. In the laboratory, a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius transformed the plastic and produced about 60 percent petrol.
According to scientists, 200 degrees Celsius is a much lower temperature than most traditional methods. This method eliminates the need for many components needed to convert plastic into fuel.
How did scientists use ?
At the heart of this process is molten salts containing aluminum chloride. These salts are heated until they become liquids. “We used commercially available inorganic salts as a reaction medium and converted the polymer waste into fuel,” said study co-author Zhenzhen Yang. ’
Why is the study important?
Plastics typically break down at temperatures between 450 and 500 degrees Celsius. That’s why it’s important to use a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. The researchers wanted to understand how molten salts work. Polyethylene is made up of long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The team found that the aluminum sites in molten salt are highly acidic and can start reactions. This breaks the long chains into smaller hydrocarbon molecules, creating the compound found in that fuel. – Agency
