Greenhouse gases and plastic waste are two of the biggest environmental problems the world faces today. A new reactor from Cambridge is designed to tackle both at once, converting CO2 and used plastic bottles into useful materials, powered entirely by sunlight.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide is at its highest levels in millennia, leading to devastating climate consequences. Meanwhile, our reliance on plastic is causing a huge buildup of the stuff in rivers, oceans and everywhere from pole to pole. Research in both of these fields has led to scientists designing reactors that convert either captured CO2 or plastic waste into oils, fuels and other useful chemicals and materials.
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