[Fuzz]

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have discovered a way to turn plastic waste into acetic acid, the main ingredient of vinegar, using sunlight.

The breakthrough offers a promising new approach to reducing plastic pollution through photocatalysis, while simultaneously creating a useful, value-added chemical product through a process inspired by nature.

“Our goal was to solve the plastic pollution challenge by converting microplastic waste into high-value products using sunlight,” said Dr. Yimin Wu, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering and the Tang Family Chair in New Energy Materials and Sustainability.

To tackle this problem, the team developed a bio-inspired cascade photocatalysis using iron atoms embedded in carbon nitride, like how certain types of fungi break down organic matter using enzymes.

When exposed to sunlight, the material drives a series of chemical reactions that transform plastic polymers into acetic acid with high selectivity. The reaction takes place in water, making it particularly relevant for addressing plastic pollution in aquatic environments.

While still at the laboratory stage, the team envisions that this approach could be adapted for scalable, solar-driven recycling and environmental cleanup and the photocatalytic upcycling system can be further enhanced through strategic engineering of the materials and manufacturing processes.

https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/wate...-waste-vinegar

Now we just need to figure out what to do with all that vinegar...perhaps with a companion process producing baking soda, we can create the world's largest science fair eruption. Or maybe rockets.