Researchers have found a way to harvest hydrogen from plastic waste using a low-emissions method that generates graphene as a by-product, which could help offset production costs.
Hydrogen is viewed as a promising alternative to fossil fuel, but the methods used to make it either generate too much carbon dioxide or are too expensive. Rice University researchers have found a way to harvest hydrogen from plastic waste using a low-emissions method that could more than pay for itself.
By comparison, 'green' hydrogen -- produced using renewable energy sources to split water into its two component elements -- costs roughly $5 for just over two pounds. Though cheaper, most of the nearly 100 million tons of hydrogen used globally in 2022 was derived from fossil fuels, its production generating roughly 12 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of hydrogen.
The researchers exposed plastic waste samples to rapid flash Joule heating for about four seconds, bringing their temperature up to 3100 degrees Kelvin. The process vaporizes the hydrogen present in plastics, leaving behind graphene -- an extremely light, durable material made up of a single layer of carbon atoms.
Using funding from the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Tour lab acquired the necessary equipment to characterize the vaporized contents.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Researchers reveal dominant source of atmospheric mercury in the ArcticA research team led by Prof. Xie Zhouqing and Prof. Le Fange from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) revealed that the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) is a dominant source of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), and proposed a mechanism for the summertime peak of GEM in the Arctic. Their work was published in Nature Communications.
Weiterlesen »
Protected nature reserves alone are insufficient for reversing biodiversity loss, researchers sayBiodiversity is dwindling at a rapid pace across the globe. As one key remedy, we are protecting areas around the world, hoping that they will suffice to save what is left. While protected areas have undoubtedly contributed to slowing the overall biodiversity loss, it is unclear how well they work across multiple species concurrently. To explore this, researchers at the University of Helsinki examined changes in the occurrence of hundreds of species within and outside of protected areas.
Weiterlesen »
Researchers unveil comprehensive database of published microbial signaturesA new study published by researchers from the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) at CUNY SPH and colleagues presents BugSigDB, a community-editable database of manually curated microbial signatures from published studies.
Weiterlesen »
UCLA researchers plan to deeply examine health impacts of Aliso Canyon gas leakMany San Fernando Valley residents felt County Department of Public Health didn’t go far enough to assess human damage.
Weiterlesen »
X (Twitter) Failed to Act on 86% of Hate Speech Posts, Researchers SayThe reported posts included content that denied the Holocaust and promoted white supremacy. In response, Musk called the researchers a 'bronze tier psy ops.'
Weiterlesen »
Independent Researchers Impressed by Tesla Semi's Real World RangeData is finally starting to come in about the Tesla Semi truck, thanks to researchers tracking its performance in the real world.
Weiterlesen »