UCLA-led team turns mixed plastic waste into hydrogen fuel, locks away carbon as solid mineral

Researchers at UCLA and Ewha Womans University have demonstrated a new chemical process that converts unsorted plastic waste directly into high-purity hydrogen fuel. The alkaline thermal treatment method works on the three most common plastics PET, polyethylene, and polypropylene without requiring sorting. It operates at temperatures 300-400 degrees Celsius lower than traditional gasification and captures more than 75% of the plastic carbon as solid sodium carbonate instead of releasing it as CO2. The process addresses two problems at once: plastic waste accumulation and clean hydrogen production. Most plastic recycling fails because sorting is expensive and labor intensive. This approach skips that step entirely. The captured carbon can be converted into calcium carbonate for use in cement and other industries. The researchers note further work is needed to optimize the process and assess its economic viability before commercial deployment.