tldrdailynews.com logo
Tag

Plastic Waste

All articles tagged with #plastic waste

technology26 days ago

Low-Temp Molten-Salt Route Converts Plastic Waste Into Fuel

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers report a molten-salt process using aluminum-chloride–based salts to convert polyethylene plastic waste into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels at temperatures below 200°C, achieving about 60% gasoline yield without noble-metal catalysts, organic solvents, or external hydrogen, offering a potentially scalable and energy-efficient alternative to pyrolysis—though water sensitivity remains a major challenge for scaling.

via SciTechDaily|
#fuels#molten-salts#plastic-waste
Plastic Waste Becomes Edible Cookies via 3D Printing and Engineered Yeast
technology1 month ago

Plastic Waste Becomes Edible Cookies via 3D Printing and Engineered Yeast

Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale used CRISPR-edited yeast to convert PET plastic and plant byproducts into edible components, which are then 3D-printed into cookies called μBites. While the approach could aid food security and long-duration space missions, it remains expensive and far from scalable as a solution to global plastic waste.

via Futurism|
#3d-printing#biotechnology#crispr
NJ diners revolt as takeout utensils go by-request only
environment2 months ago

NJ diners revolt as takeout utensils go by-request only

New Jersey’s “Skip the Stuff” law, effective Aug. 1, bans automatic inclusion of single-use utensils, straws, and condiment packets in takeout and certain dine-in orders; customers must request these items, and food platforms must default to no utensils unless opted in, with fines for violations. Exemptions cover K–12 schools, healthcare facilities, and prisons, while food-court restaurants are exempt until 2028; dine-in venues with 10+ seats must use washable utensils and offer condiments in bottles or reusable containers. The state says the goal is to cut waste, though social media reactions are largely negative, with some supporters.

via New York Post|
#environment#law#new-jersey
Unsorted plastic waste yields 90% hydrogen in a single-reactor process
energy2 months ago

Unsorted plastic waste yields 90% hydrogen in a single-reactor process

Researchers from UCLA and Ewha Womans University demonstrated a lab-scale, single-reactor Alkaline Thermal Treatment (ATT) that converts a mixed, unsorted stream of PET, PE and PP plastics into hydrogen gas with over 90% purity, without emitting CO2. The process uses heat, sodium hydroxide, and a mild oxidation pretreatment, and the plastic-derived carbon is captured as sodium carbonate (with potential to become calcium carbonate for construction). While promising for reducing plastic waste and decarbonizing hydrogen, significant scaling and economic viability work is needed before it can be deployed in municipal plants.

via Interesting Engineering|
#alkaline-thermal-treatment#co2-free#energy
Plastic waste could become a CO2 sponge through amine chemistry
science4 months ago

Plastic waste could become a CO2 sponge through amine chemistry

Aarhus University researchers upcycled discarded polystyrene into a solid amine-based carbon-capture material that works at both smokestack CO2 concentrations and ambient air; a two‑step bromination (gold catalyst) and amination (copper catalyst) builds a tunable porous structure, showing potential to derive carbon-capture materials from waste plastics, though energy use and performance trade-offs remain.

via Ars Technica|
#amines#carbon-capture#plastic-waste
Bottle-to-Drug: Bacteria Convert Plastic Waste into Levodopa
science6 months ago

Bottle-to-Drug: Bacteria Convert Plastic Waste into Levodopa

Researchers engineered E. coli to convert PET-derived terephthalic acid into levodopa, a Parkinson’s drug, via a two-step metabolic pathway in a lab proof-of-concept using sequential bacterial strains; not yet scalable, but it demonstrates a potential plastic-to-pharma recycling route and eco-friendly drug production, building on earlier work turning PET into other medicines. Published in Nature Sustainability with EPSRC funding.

via ScienceAlert|
#biotechnology#levodopa#pet
DNA blocks on Ryugu, plastic-eating bacteria, and a crumbling comet: this week in science
science6 months ago

DNA blocks on Ryugu, plastic-eating bacteria, and a crumbling comet: this week in science

Researchers analyzing asteroid Ryugu samples found the five DNA/RNA nucleobases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil) plus ammonia, suggesting primitive solar-system chemistry could seed life's ingredients on Earth; a German study shows a bacterial consortium can degrade several phthalate esters used in plastics via cross-feeding; and new Hubble images captured the breakup of Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) as it left the solar system, with Engadget recapping other notable science stories from the week.

via Engadget|
#asteroid#comet-c2025-k1-atlas#dna-nucleobases
Global Plastic Waste Burning in Households: A Hidden Health Crisis
environment9 months ago

Global Plastic Waste Burning in Households: A Hidden Health Crisis

The article investigates the widespread practice of burning plastic waste as household fuel in low-income urban communities across the Global South, highlighting its prevalence, drivers such as inadequate waste management and energy poverty, and associated health and environmental risks, while emphasizing the need for improved waste systems and clean energy access to mitigate this issue.

via Nature|
#environment#global-south#household-fuel
Bacteria Converts Plastic Waste into Painkillers
technology1 year ago

Bacteria Converts Plastic Waste into Painkillers

Scientists have genetically engineered E. coli bacteria to convert waste plastic into painkillers like paracetamol, building on its long history as a versatile tool in biotechnology for producing pharmaceuticals and chemicals. While E. coli remains the dominant organism due to its robustness and extensive research background, there is growing interest in exploring other microbes like Vibrio natriegens for more sustainable and efficient biotechnological applications.

via BBC|
#biotechnology#e-coli#microbial-engineering
Atlanta Inventor Julian Brown Disappears After Plastic-to-Gasoline Breakthrough
world1 year ago

Atlanta Inventor Julian Brown Disappears After Plastic-to-Gasoline Breakthrough

Julian Brown, a young Atlanta inventor known for creating Plastoline, a machine that converts plastic waste into fuel, has been missing for two weeks following cryptic social media posts indicating he felt threatened and was being followed. His disappearance has sparked online concern and speculation that he may have been targeted due to his innovative work disrupting traditional industries.

via The Economic Times|
#disappearance#environmental-innovation#julian-brown