Researchers from UCLA and Ewha Womans University have demonstrated a new chemical process that converts a mixture of the three most common plastics (PET, polyethylene, polypropylene) directly into high-purity hydrogen fuel. The method uses alkaline thermal treatment at temperatures 300-400 degrees Celsius lower than traditional gasification, and it locks carbon dioxide into solid sodium carbonate instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Over 75% of the carbon from the plastic ends up as stable carbonate or liquid residues, with negligible direct atmospheric release. The process addresses a major recycling bottleneck: it works on unsorted mixed plastics, eliminating the costly sorting step that limits current recycling rates to only 9%. A thermal oxidation pretreatment activates polyethylene and polypropylene, which are otherwise chemically inert. The resulting sodium carbonate can be converted to calcium carbonate for use in carbon-intensive industries. The researchers say further work is needed to optimize the process and assess its economic viability before commercial deployment.
