11 Apr '24 06:45>
The problemsthat we have as a society with using up the raw materials and creating waste is well known at least since the 70's.
One step already aluded in the 80's was to recycle plastic material. The success is less than stellar. It works okay for pure wastes but even relatively small amounts of contaminants make the process unfavourable.
Now we have a new great headline:
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-co8322-biomass-path-environmentally-friendly.html "Using CO₂ and biomass, researchers find path to more environmentally friendly recyclable plastics"
In fact the research is interesting and original. But he labeling is grossly overstating the implications.
* Of course the stuff can be made and remade as long as it is pure. Even in the depolymerization the CO2 just resurfaces, so this is no way to reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere. At best it can be temporarily stored.
Lignin is a waste product from the paper inustry and it would be good to have a use for that, but this also implicates that we can just go ahead as we do.
The point is: If we want to be more environemntally friendly we need to reduce our consumption, not replace with a bit less harmful products.
One step already aluded in the 80's was to recycle plastic material. The success is less than stellar. It works okay for pure wastes but even relatively small amounts of contaminants make the process unfavourable.
Now we have a new great headline:
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-co8322-biomass-path-environmentally-friendly.html "Using CO₂ and biomass, researchers find path to more environmentally friendly recyclable plastics"
In fact the research is interesting and original. But he labeling is grossly overstating the implications.
* Of course the stuff can be made and remade as long as it is pure. Even in the depolymerization the CO2 just resurfaces, so this is no way to reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere. At best it can be temporarily stored.
Lignin is a waste product from the paper inustry and it would be good to have a use for that, but this also implicates that we can just go ahead as we do.
The point is: If we want to be more environemntally friendly we need to reduce our consumption, not replace with a bit less harmful products.