World’s first hydrogen-powered plasma torch melts plastic waste in 0.01 seconds
A team of South Korean researchers has developed the world’s first hydrogen-powered plasma torch that uses temperatures up to 2,000°C (approximately 3,600°F) to break down unsorted plastic waste into valuable chemicals.
The new technology, created by a consortium led by the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), eliminates the need to sort plastics before recycling.
Dr. Young-Hoon Song, the research program head, said:
For the first time worldwide, we have secured a process that can economically convert mixed waste plastics into raw materials,
“Through demonstration and commercialization, this will help solve both waste and carbon issues simultaneously.”
Using plasma-based process
The process uses a plasma, a state of highly energized gas, to decompose mixed plastic waste in under 0.01 seconds.
This method is a significant departure from traditional chemical recycling techniques like pyrolysis, which operate at lower temperatures (450–600°C) and produce over a hundred different by-products, many of which are useless.
The researchers added in a press release,
The plasma process developed by the program team overcomes these limitations.
“Its ultra-high-temperature operation rapidly breaks down polymer structures while suppressing carbon formation using 100% hydrogen fuel,”
Allows stable operation
By using a plasma torch fueled entirely by hydrogen, the system prevents carbon soot formation, allowing for stable and continuous operation.
This controlled process selectively converts the plastic waste into ethylene and benzene with 70-90% selectivity. After purification, the resulting raw materials are over 99% pure and can be used to manufacture new plastics.
This technology addresses a major obstacle in recycling, as the chemical recycling rate is currently quite low due to the high costs and difficulties associated with sorting plastic.
The plasma process is also effective on waxy residues left over from other recycling methods, converting them into useful chemicals with over 80% selectivity.
The project, a collaboration including KRICT, KITECH, KIST, and several universities, is moving toward commercial use. Pilot operations have shown that the cost of producing ethylene with this method is comparable to that of traditional fossil fuel sources.
The team plans to begin long-term demonstration operations in South Korea in 2026 to prepare for industrial-scale implementation.
Potential to be a carbon-free method
Dr. Dae Hoon Lee, another researcher on the project, added that related technologies developed during this research could be applied to other fields.
Dr. Lee, concluded:
In addition to the process technology, several key sub-technologies were also developed during this project, which could be extended to greenhouse gas treatment in semiconductor and display manufacturing, as well as high-value material production
When powered by renewable energy, the process has the potential to be a carbon-free method for recycling plastic.
In another development, Northwestern University chemists developed a groundbreaking method that skips the time-consuming step of sorting plastics and directly converts stubborn single-use plastics into useful products like fuels, waxes, and lubricants.
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World’s first hydrogen-powered plasma torch melts plastic waste in 0.01 seconds, source
