Recycling plastic waste into propane - technologies of the 21st century
Plastic waste is a headache for any country on planet Earth. Some states burn polymers, while others collect them in landfills. There are countries that have mastered recycling, after complex sorting by type of plastic. A good tool for the destruction of waste was the technology of polymer granulation for the further production of the roadway. Each country has its own way of recycling waste.
The Americans are proposing to change the situation with plastic recycling. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology found a unique way. Scientists propose to destroy plastics using catalysts. The result should be propane gas. Moreover, the useful yield is as much as 80%. A cobalt-based zeolite is used as a catalyst.
Recycling plastic waste into propane - technologies of the 21st century
The idea is interesting. At least the fact that for the production of propane it is not necessary to spend time sorting. In addition, in the era of the energy crisis in Europe, this is a great way to compensate for the lack of natural gas. Such an economical solution will close several questions at once:
- Waste disposal.
- The ability to further use cheap plastic in production without harm to the environment.
- Savings on wood. Indeed, due to the ban on plastic bags, many countries have switched to paper.
- Obtaining useful gas (propane) in the energy sector.
Against the background of all these advantages, there is one significant drawback. Cobalt. Heavy metal is mined in two dozen countries. That is, for other states where it is not mined, it will have a certain value. Naturally, from an economic point of view, questions arise - how effective is the method of processing.
Considering the fact that there are huge deposits of cobalt in Africa, China, Australia, Canada and Russia, the processing of plastic into propane will be of interest only to the countries listed. The rest will have to calculate income and expenses in order to find a consensus on this issue.