Plastic turned into clean hydrogen fuel using solar reactor and waste battery acid

Researchers at the University of Cambridge built a solar-powered reactor that converts hard-to-recycle plastics into hydrogen fuel and industrial acetic acid.

The process uses acid recovered from discarded car batteries and a corrosion-resistant photocatalyst to break down polymers into intermediates like ethylene glycol.

Laboratory tests showed sustained hydrogen production and acetic acid selectivity for over 260 hours, and the method works on plastics including nylon and polyurethane.