🔬 Science 13h ago

Plastic bags to gasoline: Molten salts crack polyethylene into real fuels

Phys.org
Phys.org science news
View Channel →
Plastic bags to gasoline: Molten salts crack polyethylene into real fuels
Source ↗ 👁 0 💬 0
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a method to convert a commonly discarded hydrocarbon polymer into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels. The team has applied for a patent for the discovery, which treats polyethylene—the stuff of white cutting boards and shopping bags—with aluminum chloride-containing molten salts that serve as both solvent and catalyst. The results are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Comments (0)

Sign in to join the discussion

More Like This

What are motor skills? Evidence‑based ways to support children's fine and gross motor development
Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories · 12h ago
A 'wake-up call' from leading sleep scientists: Nighttime warming threatens the sleep of billions
Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories · 12h ago
Sexist attitudes account for up to 13% of Gen Z's gender voting gap
Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories · 13h ago
Artemis II Astronauts Reflect on 'Surreal' Moon Voyage Ahead of Return
ScienceAlert · 13h ago
Sport clubs became lifelines during public health crisis, research shows
Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories · 13h ago
Dialect, Mother Tongue, and Dueling Economies of Recognition in a Trentino, Italy, School
Anthropology News · 13h ago