Post #3801934
2026-07-06 14:09 UTC
“…in a petri dish”
But seriously, this doesn’t make any sense to my ( chemisty course flunking ) head:
They have made a device that uses sunlight to break down plastic waste and turn it into hydrogen. And it’s not just a lab curiosity. The team made it using simple methods and materials, and have tested it outside in the sunlight.
Where does the carbon go? What about the oxygen? Does the sun burn them? I don’t get it
Replies (2)
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@SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2026-07-06 15:08
burn any hydrocarbon, you get hydrogen/water and C02.
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@mlatu@moist.catsweat.com 2026-07-06 14:22
from the article (https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-026-00406-y) linked in the article: Besides H2 evolution, the oxidation products from the photocatalytic reforming process were also analyzed using ion chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The major oxidation products detected after 22 h were formate and acetate (from pretreated cellulose), as well as glycolaldehyde (GAld) dimer and glycolate (from pretreated PET),