00:03Plastics are filling up our rivers and oceans, but more of them are still being produced than
00:07ever before. However, experts now say they may have found a way to not only get rid of plastic,
00:12but also turn it into a clean energy source. And the process is pretty straightforward.
00:16Scientists have found that taking macerated plastic and subjecting them to microwaves
00:20activates certain particles in the plastics, catalysts that strip away the hydrogen from
00:24the rest of the material, leaving just high-value carbon and hydrogen, which can be used as clean
00:29energy. And better yet, the process can extract 97% of the hydrogen without producing any CO2.
00:35With one of the study's researchers, Professor Peter Edwards, saying about the discovery,
00:39this opens an entirely new area of catalysis in terms of selectivity and offers a potential
00:44route to the challenge of the plastic waste Armageddon, adding it may allow us to, quote,
00:48leapfrog away from fossil fuel usage. The findings were published in the journal Nature Catalysis.
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