Almost 30 years ago, a Japanese underwater robot first spotted a plastic bag in the depths of the Mariana Trench. Today, plastic is so widespread that it is already emerging as a new geological layer \u2013 \u201cplastistone\u201d. The average human brain is estimated to contain up to one tablespoon of microplastic. The severity of the problem has led the United Nations to draft a global treaty on plastics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But because we still can't control the spread of plastic, some scientists and industries are looking for solutions. Among them, of course, is the controversial method of converting plastic back into usable oil. If effectively scaled up, "bio-oil" could power technologies that require fuel for heat and electricity, such as furnaces, turbines and diesel engines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers at Yale University recently presented a new method that increases the yield of bio-oil and reduces costs. They use pyrolysis \u2013 heating without oxygen \u2013 at 900 \u00b0C, which breaks down plastic polymers into hydrocarbons. Typically, pyrolysis achieves a 60 percent yield, but the new method without a catalyst achieves as much as 66 percent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of expensive catalysts, they developed a 3D-printed carbon reactor with three sections of different pores: 1 mm, 500 \u03bcm, and 200 nm. This structure controls the breakdown of molecules. An experimental version made of carbon felt achieved 56 percent efficiency, despite lower precision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Notably, high energy consumption, which causes carbon dioxide emissions. Some experts describe pyrolysis as a \u201cfairy tale\u201d promoted by oil companies to conserve fossil fuels. But innovations like Yale\u2019s could one day become a real solution to the plastic crisis. <\/p>\n
Pred skoraj 30 leti je japonski podvodni robot prvi\u010d opazil plasti\u010dno vre\u010dko v globinah Marijanskega jarka. Danes je plastika tako raz\u0161irjena, da se \u017ee pojavlja kot nov geolo\u0161ki sloj \u2013 \u201cplastistone\u201d. Povpre\u010den \u010dlove\u0161ki mo\u017egani naj bi vsebovali do eno \u017elico mikroplastike. Zaradi resnosti problema Zdru\u017eeni narodi pripravljajo globalno pogodbo o plastiki. Ker pa \u0161irjenja plastike […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[718],"class_list":["post-6605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-oprema","tag-avtomobili"],"acf":{"subtitle":"Znanstveniki z univerze Yale so razvili novo metodo za pretvorbo plasti\u010dnih odpadkov v bio-nafto brez uporabe dragih katalizatorjev. S pomo\u010djo 3D-tiskanega reaktorja so dosegli rekordni izkoristek in pokazali potencial za trajnostno recikla\u017eo plastike.","heading":"","summary":"Znanstveniki z univerze Yale so razvili novo metodo za pretvorbo plasti\u010dnih odpadkov v bio-nafto brez uporabe dragih katalizatorjev. S pomo\u010djo 3D-tiskanega reaktorja so dosegli rekordni izkoristek in pokazali potencial za trajnostno recikla\u017eo plastike.","thumbnail_small":"https:\/\/racunalniske-novice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/pollution-8252588_1280-560x315.jpg","thumbnail_large":"https:\/\/racunalniske-novice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/pollution-8252588_1280-1024x768.jpg","thumbnail_caption":"","gallery":"","video_gallery":[{"youtube_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/D0bTmWeMeWE"}],"author":"","links":[{"title":"Yale","url":""}],"sources":null,"skip_language":[]},"yoast_head":"\n