科學(xué)家們找到了利用塑料垃圾發(fā)電的方法

科學(xué)家們找到了利用塑料垃圾發(fā)電的方法

Scientists may have discovered an environmentally friendly way to turn plastic waste into renewable energy.

科學(xué)家們可能已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種將塑料垃圾轉(zhuǎn)化為可再生能源的環(huán)保方法。

In a series of lab experiments, researchers in Singapore successfully converted plastic into formic acid — a chemical that can be used to generate electricity in power plants and electric cars.

在一系列的實驗室實驗中，新加坡的研究人員成功地將塑料轉(zhuǎn)化成甲酸——一種可用于發(fā)電廠和電動車發(fā)電的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。

“We are able to turn plastics, which are of course polluting the oceans, into useful chemicals,” Soo Han Sen, head of the two-year research project at Nanyang Technological University, told AFP.

南洋理工大學(xué)這項為期兩年的研究項目的負(fù)責(zé)人Soo Han Sen對法新社表示:“我們能夠?qū)⑽廴竞Ｑ蟮乃芰限D(zhuǎn)化為有用的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。”

“We’re hoping to turn this into a fully renewable process that’s carbon neutral.”

“我們希望把它變成一個完全可再生的過程，是碳中性的。”

To develop the process, the research team created a catalyst from vanadium — a cheap metal often used in steel alloys for vehicles that doesn’t damage the environment.

為了開發(fā)這一工藝，研究小組用釩制造了一種催化劑。釩是一種廉價的金屬，通常用于制造汽車合金，不會破壞環(huán)境。

The catalyst is then dissolved in a solution containing the plastic and exposed to artificial sunlight, breaking down the carbon-carbon bonds inside the plastic and turning the once non-biodegradable material into formic acid.

然后，催化劑被溶解在含有塑料的溶液中，暴露在人工陽光下，分解塑料內(nèi)部的碳-碳鍵，把曾經(jīng)不可降解的材料變成甲酸。

The findings were published in Advanced Science.

研究結(jié)果發(fā)表在《先進(jìn)科學(xué)》雜志上。

“This new chemical treatment is the first reported process that can completely break down a non-biodegradable plastic such as polyethylene using visible light and a catalyst that does not contain heavy metals,” Sen said in a press release.

森在一份新聞稿中說:“這種新的化學(xué)處理方法，是首次報道的利用可見光和不含重金屬的催化劑，完全降解聚乙烯等不可生物降解塑料的方法。”

Sen and his team have only been able to convert tiny amounts of plastic into formic acid so far, adding that there will be challenges to replicating the process on a bigger scale.

森和他的團(tuán)隊到目前為止只能將少量的塑料轉(zhuǎn)化成甲酸，并補充說，在更大的范圍內(nèi)復(fù)制這一過程將會面臨挑戰(zhàn)。