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New catalyst could make mixed plastic recycling a reality

phys.org · 1,288 words · saved by 1 readers

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread The future of plastic recycling may soon get much less complicated, frustrating and tedious. In a new study, Northwestern University chemists have introduced a new plastic upcycling process that can drastically reduce—or perhaps even fully bypass—the laborious chore of pre-sorting mixed plastic waste. The process harnesses a new, inexpensive nickel-based catalyst that selectively breaks down polyolefin plastics consisting of polyethylenes and polypropylenes—the single-use kind that dominates nearly two-thirds of global plastic consumption. This means industrial users could apply the catalyst to large volumes of unsorted

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The future of plastic recycling may soon get much less complicated, frustrating and tedious. In a new study, Northwestern University chemists have introduced a new plastic upcycling process that can drastically reduce—or perhaps even fully bypass—the laborious chore of pre-sorting mixed plastic waste. The process harnesses a new, inexpensive nickel-based catalyst that selectively breaks down polyolefin plastics consisting of polyethylenes and polypropylenes—the single-use kind that dominates nearly two-thirds of global plastic consumption. This means…

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