Polyethylene Terephthalate (otherwise known as PET plastic) is a clear, strong, lightweight plastic used for food and beverage containers, textiles, and many other things. It is one of the most pervasive forms of plastic piling up in the world’s oceans, in landfills, and elsewhere. Getting rid of it is a real challenge.
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark have found a way to make use of waste PET plastic to address the pervasive problem of carbon dioxide emissions. There are a variety of methods in use for capturing the carbon dioxide in the exhaust from industrial facilities. They make use of various chemicals and sorbent materials that soak up the CO2 from the gas stream. Some are expensive, or unstable at higher temperatures, or require hard-to-get ingredients.
The Copenhagen researchers have developed a way to break down PET plastic by adding a chemical called ethylenediamine. The result is a new material they call BAETA, which is very effective in pulling carbon dioxide out of the air and binding it.
BAETA is a powdery substance that can be pelletized. In an industrial plant, exhaust would be transmitted through BAETA-containing units, which would cleanse it of CO2. The BAETA eventually gets saturated and then would be heated up in a chamber where the carbon dioxide would be collected and either stored underground or used for various purposes.
This cutting-edge invention is an example where one man’s trash could become another man’s treasure. It just might be a way to get rid of lots of waste plastic and carbon dioxide at the same time.
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Scientists transform plastic waste into efficient CO2 capture materials
Photo, posted June 8, 2021, courtesy of Ivan Radic via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
