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.