Can chemical recycling be done in a gentler way?

Sustainable Plastics reports on new research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Northwestern National Laboratory that describes a chemical recycling process that significantly reduces energy use.

US scientists develop gentler chemical recycling process that significantly reduces energy use

The researchers combined the cracking step with a 'second reaction step' to instantly convert to a gasoline-like liquid fuel without unwanted byproducts. The second reaction step uses an alkylation catalyst, which the petroleum industry currently uses to enhance gasoline octane.

The process only requires 158 degrees Fahrenheit, which is lower than the temperature setting for baking chocolate chip cookies.