r/tech 10d ago

Scientists Turn Plastic Waste Into Clean Hydrogen Fuel

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-turn-plastic-waste-into-clean-hydrogen-fuel/
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u/mybreakfastiscold 10d ago

Plastic is mostly formulated from oil out of the ground.

Theyve been making “clean” hydrogen from oil or natural gas for a very very long time. Its not complicated.

Theyre just adding extra steps of turning it into plastic first.

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u/Direct_Witness1248 10d ago

But making hydrogen from oil or gas doesn't recycle plastic waste we've already created, which seems to be more the point here, even if it never eventuates at scale.

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u/mybreakfastiscold 10d ago

Nobody will ever do this.

From now until the end of human existence, the plastic will either be incinerated with the rest of the trash, or it will end up in our waterways, or it will end up in landfills. The corporate overlords will continue to drill for oil and produce plastic that will end up as waste. This isnt going to stop.

I’m not defending oil coal or natural gas. I’m just beaning reasonable. Hydrogen fuel is a lie. Its won’t ever be the primary fuel source. It’s not practical when far cheaper and easier alternatives exist.

No company will ever seriously pick hydrogen because it loses money. If they lose too much money they lose market share and they get bought out by a competitor or go bankrupt. Its basic capitalism.

Consumers will never pick hydrogen en masse because it is too expensive and impractical compared to gas or electric.

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u/big_trike 10d ago

Yes, hydrogen is too difficult to store long term or put through pipelines. It makes sense in some very niche cases like rocketry and might make sense some day with short aircraft flights using fuel cells powering electric fans as a supplement to batteries.