Researchers at the University of Waterloo have found a way to turn plastic waste into acetic acid—the main ingredient in vinegar—using only sunlight. The discovery offers a new method to fight plastic pollution while creating a useful chemical product.
The University of Waterloo research team developed a process that breaks down common plastics into acetic acid. Dr. Yimin Wu, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, led the work with PhD student Wei Wei. The team published their findings in a recent study.
Plastic waste has become a major environmental problem. Microplastics now exist in oceans, rivers, and soil around the world. These tiny particles threaten wildlife and may harm human health. Current methods to deal with plastic waste often create more pollution.
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The new approach uses a material made of iron atoms embedded in carbon nitride. When sunlight hits this material, it starts a chemical reaction that breaks plastic polymers apart. The reaction happens in water, which makes it useful for cleaning up plastic pollution in lakes and oceans.
The process turns plastic into acetic acid, a chemical widely used in food production, manufacturing, and energy. It works on many types of plastic, including PVC, PP, PE, and PET. It even works when different plastics are mixed together, which mirrors real-world waste streams.
The method offers an alternative to burning plastic waste. It uses free solar energy and does not release extra carbon dioxide into the air. Early analysis suggests the approach could make financial sense for businesses while helping the environment.
The research is still at the laboratory stage. The team needs to test whether the process can work on a large scale. They also want to improve the materials to make the reaction more efficient. More work is needed before this technology can clean up rivers or process waste at recycling centers.
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If scaled up successfully, this approach could help reduce plastic pollution in water systems. It also supports the idea of a circular economy, where waste becomes a resource. The team believes solar-powered recycling could become a practical tool for environmental cleanup.
