Researchers Convert Plastic Waste Into Clean Hydrogen Fuel Using Sunlight

Researchers at the University of Adelaide and the University of Cambridge have developed solar-driven photocatalysts that convert plastic waste into clean hydrogen fuel and valuable chemicals. Published in Chem Catalysis (DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2026.101746), the Adelaide team's method uses solar-driven photoreforming at relatively low temperatures. A separate Cambridge team (Erwin Reisner) developed a molybdenum-cobalt photocatalyst stable in acid, published in Joule. A Korean team at the Institute for Basic Science developed a floatable nanocomposite system producing hydrogen from PET bottles and PLA cups using sunlight. The process is more energy-efficient than water splitting because plastics are easier to oxidize.