Clean Electricity – Researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore have succeeded in creating a futuristic solution that can overcome the pollution caused by plastic waste. . In April, they discovered a new technology that can convert plastic waste into hydrogen and carbon. Both of these elements can produce clean electricity that is useful for various industrial purposes.
“The new method we have devised can convert plastic waste of any type into clean electricity, even contaminated plastic,” said the lead researcher, Associate Professor Grzegorz Lisak, in Mothership. “Several types of plastic waste are usually difficult to recycle because they consist of a mixture of various materials.”
To generate clean electricity from plastic waste, researchers must first collect plastic waste. Once collected in sufficient quantities, plastic waste will go through a decomposition and heating process until it turns into gas. The gas will then enter the catalyzed reactor to be processed again into two end products, namely hydrogen and carbon nanotubes. The name of the process is pyrolysis.
Quoted from NTU’s official information, hydrogen from plastic waste can be utilized as a source of clean electricity that can power electric vehicles. In addition, we can also use carbon nanotubes in biomedical, automotive, and industrial applications.
“Developing such hydrogen technology is part of Singapore’s plan to explore clean energy sources. This effort can replace the use of fossil fuels and can reduce the country’s carbon footprint,” wrote NTU.
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Clean Electricity from Marine Plastic Waste
To generate clean electricity from plastic, NTU researchers use plastic waste that comes from the ocean. You need to know, Greeners, until now there are 269 million kilograms of marine debris floating in the seas around Singapore. To get the most out of marine plastic waste, the researchers teamed up with the non-profit organization Ocean Purpose Project.
“That amount of plastic waste can produce clean electricity that can drive electric vehicles up to 40 million kilometers. In addition, if we process all the plastic waste in Singapore into an energy source, this energy can power thousands of apartments for a full year,” said NTU.