RE: New scientist13 Oct 2020 20:56
The relevance here is that article reads a little like they can handle the 1.5 million tons of plastic waste problem by heating the plastic with some iron rust and some aluminum rust in a microwave and after catching the hydrogen there would be only carbon left in the end.
If it were that easy, we should open a doodle to find a date to meet all for a common share-bruning at a final party. And we could drink a beer with the guys from the PHE board who surely would be also there.
But it's not that simple. So far, this has only been possible on a small scale and, it only makes sense if the starting product is known and very pure, if possible only consists of pure CH chains, and for the 14% hydrogen, the ratio in the sum formula should be 1C: 2H, so it is only for clean, well sorted PP (Polypropylene) or PE (Polyethylene), but not for PS, PET, PVC, PMMA, PU,...