Скачать или смотреть New Breakthrough Enables Next-Generation Plastic Recycling (FFP Story | EP. 7)

Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary, this story explores a breakthrough from Northwestern University: a nickel-based catalyst that enables true “no-sort” plastic recycling. Unlike current costly or wasteful approaches, this method selectively breaks down polypropylene while leaving polyethylene intact, solving one of recycling’s biggest bottlenecks. It even turns common contaminants like PVC into a net positive — offering a scalable path to tackle the plastic crisis.

Summary

• Plastic is cheap, convenient, and everywhere — but environmentally devastating
• Current recycling methods (mechanical, pyrolysis) are inefficient, costly, or polluting
• Humans are unlikely to reduce consumption, so innovation must bridge the gap
• Northwestern breakthrough: a nickel catalyst for hydrogenolysis
• Selectively targets polypropylene while ignoring polyethylene
• Works even in the presence of PVC, improving reaction outcomes
• Achieved 99.5% polypropylene conversion in just 20 minutes
• Industrial promise: chemical sorting at the facility instead of human sorting

If you want to watch the full episode, you can view it here:
   • FFP EP. 7 | Interstellar Visitor 3I/Atlas,...  

Chapters
00:00 Intro — nickel catalyst recycling headline
00:49 Why plastic is cheap, loved, and harmful
01:12 400M tons of plastic per year, 11M tons to oceans
01:50 Humans won’t give up plastic — why innovation matters
02:29 Recycling as a global problem, not just individual choices
03:10 Current options: mechanical & pyrolysis recycling
05:47 Hydrogenolysis as a promising alternative
07:17 Why rare catalysts (platinum, palladium) don’t scale
09:42 Breakthrough: nickel-based selective catalyst
11:01 How it targets polypropylene, ignores polyethylene
13:30 PVC contaminant paradox — it actually helps
15:06 Industrial impact: no human sorting needed
16:36 Policy & commons: why fundamental research matters

Show Notes

Nature Chemistry — No-Sort Plastic Catalyst
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4155...