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Summary
Researchers developed a scalable continuous low-pressure hydrothermal processing method to convert polystyrene plastic waste into valuable monomers, operating without catalysts, producing less char than pyrolysis, and requiring substantially lower pressures than supercritical methods.
Continuous low-pressure hydrothermal processing methods for polystyrene conversion to oilsExponential growth in the use of plastics since the 1950s has generated over 7 billion tons of waste in the landfi lls and oceans that degrades slowly, releasing microplastics and thousands of chemicals harmful to life and ecosystems.This study presents a scalable, continuous low-pressure hydrothermal processing (LP-HTP) method to convert one of the plastics, polystyrene, into valuable monomers-requiring no catalysts, producing less char than pyrolysis, operating at 220 times lower pressure than supercritical water liquefaction, and generating 95% lower green-house-gas emissions than incineration.The method has the potential to support a sustainable circular hydrocarbon economy.