Although plastics are part of modern life, they represent a serious pollution problem today. Some chemists are developing techniques that seek to transform plastics into liquid fuel or electricity. How is this technique? Will the transformation of plastics contribute to reducing pollution? How will this “fuel” affect the generation of greenhouses gases?

It's a fact that not all the plastic we generate can be recycled. As with paper, plastic cannot withstand infinitely reuse (it is a process of infracyclado ó downcycling ), and after several recycling processes it becomes unusable with the sole purpose of ending its days in landfills, where it will take a long time to be resorbed and its decomposition will produce large doses of greenhouse gases, mainly methane whose effect is 24 times higher than CO2. Many plastics can burn and serve as fuel .

As an example: 1 kg of polypropylene provides almost three times more heat energy than 1 kg of wood; 1 kg of PET provides the same energy as 1 kg of coal; or 1 kg of polyethylene generates the same energy as 1 kg of diesel oil. But because it is a combustion process, CO2 is generated that is expelled into the atmosphere and contributes to the greenhouse effect, as well as other gaseous compounds that may be toxic. Therefore, this process must be accompanied by checks and security measures that prevent these harmful effects.

This solution offers two advantages, the first is that stop filling the landfills with highly polluting plastics, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions produced in areas where waste accumulates; and on the other hand, it develops a power generation system that can be launched at the same time as needed.