Scientists have developed a new method to break down plastic waste, using moisture from the air.
By exposing a common type of plastic to an inexpensive catalyst and leaving it exposed to ambient air, researchers broke down 94% of the material in just four hours.
The plastic transformed into terephthalic acid (TPA), a highly valuable building block for polyesters. Because TPA can be upcycled into more valuable materials, the process offers a safer and cheaper alternative to current plastic recycling methods. The researchers published their findings Feb. 3 in the journal Green Chemistry.
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