A team of chemists from Northwestern University have found a way to break down plastic waste by harnessing the moisture available in the air. Their system uses an inexpensive catalyst to break down the polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common polyester. Then, simply by exposing it to the moisture in the air, the team converted the broken-down PET into terephthalic acid (TPA). TPA is a highly valuable substance that forms polyesters. And the entire process only resulted in one byproduct, a valuable industrial chemical that was easy to remove.
Published in the journal Green Chemistry, the findings pave the way for a greener and cheaper method of recycling than any currently in use today. In tests, the team was able to recover 94 percent of the possible TPA in plastic waste in just four hours. The process was equally effective when tested on real-world plastic waste like water bottles and shirts. Additionally, the catalyst used at the beginning of the process is durable and recyclable, meaning the same batch could be used repeatedly.
The next step is to explore ways to scale up the process for industrial use cases. “Our technology has the potential to significantly reduce plastic pollution, lower the environmental footprint of plastics and contribute to a circular economy where materials are reused rather than discarded,” said Naveen Malik, the study’s first author. “It’s a tangible step toward a cleaner, greener future, and it demonstrates how innovative chemistry can address global challenges in a way that aligns with nature.”
