Science and Technology News

Plastic Waste to Fuel Technology

September 24 , 2026 9 hrs 0 min 29 0

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) developed a method to convert polyethylene plastic waste into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels.
The process uses aluminium chloride-based molten salts as both the reaction medium and catalyst.
It converts polyethylene into smaller hydrocarbon molecules at temperatures below 200°C.
The process produced about 60% gasoline under relatively mild conditions.
It does not require noble-metal catalysts, organic solvents or external hydrogen.