Scientists at Virginia Tech’s Department of Chemistry, US, have discovered a method of converting certain plastics into value-added products like soaps, detergents and lubricants. The research, which spanned over five years, represents a new path for the circular economy and plastic waste management. The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, focused on PE and PP, two of the most common plastic types, employing a temperature-gradient thermolysis strategy. This process breaks down plastics into hydrocarbons with tunable molar mass distributions.
