Presently, 2/3 of PET is still burned or buried due to difficulties in recycling less than clean PET (coloured or contaminated). This team has developed novel technology that can upcycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste into high-quality building block terephthalic acid (TPA) while co-generating green hydrogen. The technology comprises a prototype and process to achieve full conversion of plastic waste with > 95% yield to terephthalic acid, and generates hydrogen with 50% less electricity consumption than the state-of-the-art water electrolyser technology. The high purity terephthalic acid can be reused to produce virgin PET plastic, and the clean H2 can be used as reactant or high energy carrier in chemical industry to help in decarbonising the sector. The team has been selected for a place in the Undaunted-Greenhouse accelerator 2026.
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