Scientists have discovered a way of using solar energy to transform plastic waste and greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels.Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a system that converts two waste streams into two products simultaneously.It is the first time this has been achieved in a solar-powered reactor.The reactor converts carbon dioxide and plastics into different products that are useful in a range of industries.Tests of the reactor under normal temperature and pressure conditions showed that the reactor could efficiently convert plastic bottles and CO2 into different carbon-based fuels such as CO, syngas or formate, in addition to glycolic acid.Syngas is a key building block for sustainable liquid fuels and glycolic acid is widely used in the cosmetics industry.In the paper, which has been published in the journal Nature Synthesis, the scientists say the…
UK scientists use solar energy to convert plastic and CO2 into sustainable fuels
