Cambridge develops solar plastic-to-hydrogen reactor

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, led by Erwin Reisner and with key contributions from Kwasi Kwarteng, have developed a solar-powered reactor that can break down hard-to-recycle plastic waste using acid recovered from old car batteries. This innovative process converts the waste into clean hydrogen fuel and valuable industrial chemicals like acetic acid. The method, known as solar-powered acid photoreforming, utilizes a newly engineered photocatalyst that can withstand highly corrosive acid, a discovery that was almost accidental. This approach offers a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to current chemical recycling methods, creating a circular system where one waste stream (car battery acid) solves another (plastic waste). The reactor demonstrated high hydrogen yields and ran for over 260 hours without performance loss in laboratory tests. The team plans to commercialize this process with support from Cambridge Enterprise and United Kingdom — UK Research and Innovation, aiming to complement conventional recycling by handling contaminated or mixed plastics.