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Jet Fuel Could Be Made From Recycled Plastic Waste, And It Would Take One Hour

Thanks to a new technology that’s being developed by Washington State University researchers, jets could be running on fuel obtained from recycled plastic, through a process that takes only an hour.
The innovative method could be used to obtain fuel for jets such as the Airbus ACJ319neo 1 photo
Photo: Airbus
While most of the focus, when it comes to sustainable mobility, is on developing electric alternatives, we shouldn’t forget about recycling. CO2 emissions keep reaching dangerous levels and polluting the air, but waste plastics are also accumulating and impacting the environment.

Researchers from the University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have recently been working on an innovative way to not only recycle plastic, but turn it into a high-value product, such as jet fuel. Through a program that was funded by the Washington State Research Foundation and the National Science Foundation, they developed a catalytic process that can convert 90% of plastic to jet fuel and lubricants, in the course of one hour.

We always hear about plastic recycling, but is it really done effectively and on a large scale? Plastic can be processed through mechanical or chemical recycling. The first type of methods, based on melting and re-molding the plastic, decrease its quality and make it less useful. The other type is more effective, but it takes longer and it costs more to actually implement.

That is why, according to graduate student Chuhua Jia, and Hongfei Lin, associate professor, who led the research project, it was important to come up with a solution that would require less time, lower temperatures, and therefore be more affordable.

Through this ingenious method, polyethylene, which is the most common used plastic, is processed at a temperature of 220 degrees Celsius (428 degrees Fahrenheit), using a standard solvent and a ruthenium on carbon catalyst. The process results in jet fuel components and other hydrocarbon products which are also valuable, all within one hour.

The program allowed the participating scientists to adjust important factors such as time, temperature and the amount of catalysts, until the technology was fine-tuned to deliver this optimal result. It is versatile enough to be used in other industries as well and it could also work for other types of plastic.

Researchers are currently scaling up the process, so that it can be commercialized in the near future.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
Otilia Drăgan profile photo

Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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