![](https://i.imgur.com/CLvY2jA.png")
18-09-2023, 04:01 PM
Lynda Hong
Senior Environment Correspondent
UPDATED SEP 17, 2023, 6:09 PM SGT
SINGAPORE - Plastic bags and takeaway boxes, styrofoam boxes and even PVC sewage pipes could be chemically recycled more efficiently to leave a smaller carbon footprint, in a new process developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
It uses light and an easily available commercial photocatalyst – a substance that speeds up chemical reactions – to break down the stubborn polymer bonds of plastics.
Acids formed during this new process can be used in the production of green fuels such as hydrogen.
Associate Professor Soo Han Sen, who led the project, called the process “upcycling” rather than recycling.
Recycling, he said, has mostly been used to refer to mechanical recycling, where the durability of the plastic is reduced.
Mechanical plastic recycling is the process of recovering waste through sorting, washing, drying, grinding and re-granulating.
The final processing step is compounding, after which the recycled plastic material can be introduced into production processes.
By contrast, in the technology developed by NTU scientists that is currently in the process of being patented, formic acid, acetic acid and benzoic acid can be produced for use in making other chemicals for fuel cells and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs).
As hydrogen is rarely found in a gaseous state, LOHCs can absorb hydrogen for safer transport before being burned to generate energy.
The research team is currently seeking industry collaborators to commercialise the technology.
More at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/e...-footprint
Senior Environment Correspondent
UPDATED SEP 17, 2023, 6:09 PM SGT
SINGAPORE - Plastic bags and takeaway boxes, styrofoam boxes and even PVC sewage pipes could be chemically recycled more efficiently to leave a smaller carbon footprint, in a new process developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
It uses light and an easily available commercial photocatalyst – a substance that speeds up chemical reactions – to break down the stubborn polymer bonds of plastics.
Acids formed during this new process can be used in the production of green fuels such as hydrogen.
Associate Professor Soo Han Sen, who led the project, called the process “upcycling” rather than recycling.
Recycling, he said, has mostly been used to refer to mechanical recycling, where the durability of the plastic is reduced.
Mechanical plastic recycling is the process of recovering waste through sorting, washing, drying, grinding and re-granulating.
The final processing step is compounding, after which the recycled plastic material can be introduced into production processes.
By contrast, in the technology developed by NTU scientists that is currently in the process of being patented, formic acid, acetic acid and benzoic acid can be produced for use in making other chemicals for fuel cells and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs).
As hydrogen is rarely found in a gaseous state, LOHCs can absorb hydrogen for safer transport before being burned to generate energy.
The research team is currently seeking industry collaborators to commercialise the technology.
More at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/e...-footprint
