Turning Plastic Waste into CO2 Sponges: A Conversation with Dr. James Tour

In this episode, we are delighted to host the renowned scientist Dr. James Tour, whose recent research offers a groundbreaking solution to two of the most urgent environmental problems we face today – plastic waste and escalating atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.Dr. Tour's team has demonstrated that the thermal treatment of plastic waste in the presence of potassium acetate can produce an effective carbon sorbent capable of capturing CO2. Remarkably, this process works with single or mixed streams of polyolefin plastics. The resulting material possesses pores with a width of 0.7–1.4 nm, allowing for significant CO2 capture and easy regeneration upon reaching a temperature of 75 ± 5 °C.This potentially revolutionary method offers a dual solution – it addresses the environmental menace of plastic waste while providing a viable and cost-effective means for CO2 capture. Indeed, the estimated cost of CO2 capture from flue gas using this technology is less than $21 per ton of CO2, making it highly competitive compared to other CO2 capture technologies.Join us as we delve into this fascinating research with Dr. Tour and explore its implications for our global fight against climate change and plastic pollution.Keywords: Plastic waste, atmospheric carbon dioxide, CO2 capture, Dr. James Tour, environmental concerns, carbon sorbent, polyolefin plastics, climate change, plastic pollution.doi: 10.1021/acsnano.2c00955 Here, we show that the thermal treatment of PW in the presence of potassium acetate yields an effective carbon sorbent with pores width of 0.7-1.4 nm for CO2 capture.