Why sort plastic when you can blast it to oblivion? Sounds extreme, but that’s the idea behind a new technology with the potential to “realize the era of zero plastic sorting”—while minimizing carbon emissions, too.
In a press release today, the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMMS) announced the development of a plasma torch that annihilates plastic waste in less than 0.01 seconds—about ten times faster than a blink. The torch is entirely powered by hydrogen and converts mixed plastic waste into ethylene and benzene, two primary chemical ingredients for plastic. The process is relatively inexpensive and virtually carbon-free; if implemented, it could revolutionize plastic recycling, according to the researchers.
“In a world first, we have secured a process to successfully convert mixed plastic waste into raw materials,” said program director Young-Hoon Song in the release. “We will aim to resolve waste and emissions problems through continued demonstrations and commercialization of this breakthrough.”
Too hot for plastic
The torch exploits the speedy kinetics and energy transfer efficiency of plasma—hot, ionized gas—to instantly zap plastic into simpler compounds. The plasma used in the torch is extremely hot, between 1,832 and 3,632 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 and 2,000 degrees Celsius).
By making adjustments to the reaction temperature and timeframe, the researchers succeeded in getting the plastic waste to respond to the torch in the way they intended—that is, transforming it into raw material without the plastic exploding.
As a result, the team salvaged around 70 to 90% of the chemical compounds they were hoping to extract from the mixed plastic waste, with an ethylene yield of 90%. After some purification, they found that more than 99% of the output was pure enough to be recycled as raw material for plastic manufacturing.
A hot take on plastic recycling
The new technology is a significant departure from pyrolysis, the conventional method for plastic disposal. This process heats plastic waste up to a temperature of 1,112 degrees F (600 degrees C), leaving behind more than a hundred byproducts with limited practical use. It’s a popular way to treat plastic waste, and some oil companies have claimed that some of the byproducts could be recycled as oil. Even South Korea, “one of the world’s best recycling economies,” relies heavily on pyrolysis.
But the environmental impact of pyrolysis is far from ideal, with some activists referring to its supposed advantages as a “fairy tale.” In light of this concern, the researchers are hoping that their plastic torch will push Korea’s transition toward chemical recycling, which makes up less than 1% of its current recycling program.
In addition to creating useful byproducts, the torch is also powered by hydrogen, giving it “significant potential for carbon reduction,” the researchers explained. In addition, “pilot operations have already demonstrated economic feasibility,” they added. The team will officially start demonstrations with an eye to commercialization in 2026.
A sad reality is that only a small portion of plastics are recycled. If this plasma torch eventually makes it to prime time, it could be a game changer for how Korea—and other countries—handles plastic waste.