Researchers in the United States have developed a new aluminium-based chemical recycling process that converts plastic waste into fuel-range hydrocarbons at significantly lower temperatures than conventional recycling methods, potentially offering a more energy-efficient approach to managing global plastic pollution.

The technology, developed by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, uses a molten salt solution containing aluminium chloride to break down polyethylene, one of the world’s most widely used plastics, into liquid hydrocarbons suitable for fuel applications.

The research represents part of a broader global effort to improve chemical recycling technologies as governments and industries face increasing pressure to reduce plastic waste entering landfills, incinerators and natural ecosystems.

According to details released by the research team, the molten aluminium salt serves both as the reaction medium and as the active chemical agent, removing the need for additional catalysts, hydrogen inputs or organic solvents commonly used in other plastic-to-fuel conversion systems.

The process operates at temperatures below 200 degrees Celsius, substantially lower than traditional pyrolysis-based recycling technologies that typically require temperatures between 450 and 500 degrees Celsius. Researchers said the lower operating temperature could reduce energy consumption and improve the economic feasibility of large-scale deployment.

Approximately 60% of the resulting output consists of hydrocarbons within the gasoline fuel range, according to the study. These products could potentially be used in transportation fuels or industrial chemical applications following further processing and refinement.

Polyethylene, the target material used in the experiment, is among the most common plastics globally and is widely used in packaging films, shopping bags, containers and consumer products. Its widespread use has made it a major contributor to global plastic waste streams.

Chemical recycling technologies such as the molten-salt approach differ from conventional mechanical recycling systems, which typically involve sorting, cleaning and remelting plastics for reuse. Mechanical recycling often faces limitations because repeated processing can degrade material quality and because many mixed or contaminated plastics cannot be efficiently recycled through conventional systems.

The Oak Ridge process instead breaks polymer chains into smaller hydrocarbon molecules, transforming waste plastics into chemical feedstocks or fuel products rather than reproducing new plastic material directly.Researchers used neutron scattering and spectroscopy techniques to observe how polymer chains decomposed during the reaction process.

According to the study, these analytical methods helped scientists better understand the chemical mechanisms involved and optimise the breakdown process.The aluminium chloride molten salt system also avoids dependence on expensive catalysts frequently used in advanced chemical recycling systems.

Many competing technologies rely on rare or precious metals to accelerate polymer decomposition, increasing operational costs and creating additional supply-chain constraints.Industry analysts say reducing catalyst requirements could improve scalability if the process proves commercially viable at industrial scale.However, researchers acknowledged that several technical challenges remain before the technology can move toward widespread commercial adoption.

One of the principal obstacles involves the moisture sensitivity of the molten salt mixture. Exposure to water can interfere with reaction efficiency and alter the behaviour of the chemical system, creating operational difficulties for industrial facilities.

The report noted that further work is needed to improve long-term system durability, process stability and industrial safety before large-scale commercialisation becomes practical.Plastic waste remains one of the fastest-growing environmental challenges worldwide.

According to estimates from international environmental agencies, hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually, while recycling rates remain comparatively low across many regions.Most plastic recycling today relies on mechanical systems that can only process limited categories of plastic waste efficiently.

Complex, contaminated or multi-layered plastics often remain difficult to recycle economically and frequently end up in landfills or are incinerated.Advanced recycling technologies, including pyrolysis, solvent-based recovery and catalytic depolymerisation, have gained increased investment attention in recent years as policymakers and manufacturers seek alternatives capable of handling mixed plastic waste streams.

Supporters of chemical recycling argue that these technologies could contribute to a more circular plastics economy by treating plastic waste as an industrial feedstock rather than disposable refuse. Critics, however, have questioned whether some plastic-to-fuel systems merely shift environmental impacts from waste management to fuel combustion emissions.

The Oak Ridge aluminium-salt process enters this broader debate at a time when industries are facing mounting regulatory pressure to improve waste recovery rates and reduce environmental pollution associated with plastics.The findings also highlight the growing intersection between the aluminium sector and sustainability-focused industrial technologies.

Aluminium compounds such as aluminium chloride are increasingly being studied for roles in catalysis, energy storage and chemical processing because of their thermal and reactive properties.

Researchers involved in the project said continued development will focus on improving efficiency, reducing operational sensitivities and evaluating the economic viability of scaling the process for industrial use.

In the densely populated informal settlements of Mumbai, a local waste-for-food initiative led by 27-year-old social entrepreneur Shakti Yadav is combining environmental cleanup efforts with food distribution in communities affected by poor sanitation and limited access to nutrition.

Yadav, founder of the “Buy Food with Plastic” initiative, operates a system in which residents exchange discarded plastic bottles for prepared meals. According to the programme’s operating model, 20 plastic bottles are accepted in return for one hot meal.The initiative, launched in 2020, has so far distributed more than 42,000 meals, supported approximately 4,500 people and conducted sustainability awareness activities involving over 1,000 students, according to figures cited in the report.

Yadav said the project was shaped by his own experience growing up in a Mumbai slum, where seasonal flooding and poor waste management created recurring public health risks.“During the monsoons, sewage water would flood the streets,” he said. “People had to wade through it because discarded plastic choked the drains.”

According to Yadav, blocked drainage systems contributed to repeated outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue and malaria, in vulnerable neighbourhoods. His initiative was designed to address what he described as two interconnected urban challenges: unmanaged plastic waste and food insecurity.The programme operates through a circular collection and redistribution model.

Plastic bottles collected from participating residents are transferred to recycling facilities, where some workers are recruited from the same communities supplying the waste. The recycled material is then repurposed into products including flowerpots and tea coasters, which are later sold to companies, including international corporations.

Mumbai, India’s financial capital and one of the country’s most densely populated cities, generates thousands of tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. Plastic waste management has remained a major challenge for urban authorities, particularly during monsoon periods when clogged drainage infrastructure increases flood risks in low-income settlements.

Yadav said the project was inspired by a similar initiative operating in the United States. He contacted the founder of that programme and developed his own local adaptation focused on conditions in Mumbai’s informal settlements.An MBA graduate and the first member of his family to pursue higher education, Yadav initially managed the project while working in a corporate job.

He later left full-time employment to focus entirely on expanding the initiative.The transition initially faced resistance within his family. According to the report, Yadav’s mother questioned the sustainability of non-profit work and believed such efforts were generally undertaken by financially secure individuals or organizations.Yadav said he eventually persuaded her by demonstrating how the programme could simultaneously reduce waste accumulation and improve food access in underserved communities.

The meals distributed through the initiative are intended to support residents in slum areas where access to affordable and nutritious food remains inconsistent. By linking food distribution with waste collection, the programme also attempts to incentivize recycling participation among residents who may otherwise lack formal waste disposal options.

Environmental awareness has become another component of the initiative’s outreach strategy. Yadav and his team regularly visit schools and residential communities to conduct educational sessions focused on sustainability and waste disposal practices.“Previously, nobody told me that throwing plastic away was harmful,” Yadav said, describing the lack of environmental education during his childhood.

The awareness campaigns target younger audiences in particular, with organizers seeking to promote behavioural changes related to littering, recycling and environmental responsibility.The initiative’s visibility has expanded beyond Mumbai in recent years. According to the report, Yadav represented India in Germany during a programme focused on sustainability and climate change research.

He was also awarded the 2023 Cross-Cultural Program Fellowship.The project currently operates in selected slum clusters across Mumbai, although Yadav said he intends to expand its reach across additional parts of the city.Urban policy experts have increasingly emphasized the relationship between waste management, flooding and public health risks in Indian metropolitan regions.

During annual monsoon periods, low-income settlements often experience disproportionate exposure to waterlogging and sanitation failures due to inadequate drainage systems and high concentrations of unmanaged waste.

Plastic waste has become a central issue in municipal governance discussions across India, particularly after several state governments introduced restrictions on single-use plastics and expanded recycling regulations in recent years. Enforcement and waste segregation, however, remain inconsistent across many urban districts.

Programmes such as “Buy Food with Plastic” operate outside formal municipal systems but increasingly form part of localized efforts aimed at combining environmental management with social welfare objectives.The initiative also reflects a growing trend among younger social entrepreneurs in India seeking hybrid solutions that combine recycling, employment generation and food distribution.

By connecting waste collection with direct community incentives, such models attempt to address both environmental and economic pressures simultaneously.Yadav said his long-term objective remains focused on improving conditions within communities similar to the one where he was raised.

“My goal is to eradicate both plastic waste and hunger,” he said.

Since the beginning of April, Bali’s main landfill at Suwung has been closed to most organic waste as part of Jakarta’s push to phase out open landfills nationwide, a policy formally introduced in 2013 but only now being enforced more aggressively.

With limited replacement infrastructure in place, residents and businesses say waste is accumulating on roadsides, attracting rats and prompting some people to burn rubbish in the open, sending smoke through densely populated neighborhoods.“As a business owner, this is a real nuisance,” said Yuvita Anggi Prinanda, who runs a flower stall in Denpasar and generates several large bags of plant waste each day.

She said she had paid a private company to remove garbage near her shop after the smell began driving away customers.Bali produces an estimated 3,400 tons of waste daily, a figure driven in part by tourism on an island that welcomed around seven million visitors last year, far exceeding its local population of about 4.4 million.

At Kuta beach, one of Bali’s busiest tourist areas and a location frequently affected by marine plastic debris, rubbish bags have been stacked high in parking areas as collection systems struggle to cope.“You have many rats here at nighttime.

The smell is not very good it’s not a good look,” said Australian tourist Justin Butcher.Authorities have warned that people caught illegally dumping or burning trash face up to three months in jail and fines of 50 million rupiah ($3,000), according to Bali public order agency head I Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi.But sanitation workers say the restrictions have left them with few practical options.

“If we don’t collect our client’s trash, we are in the wrong, if we collect it, where do we dispose it?” said I Wayan Tedi Brahmanca, one of hundreds of workers who drove garbage trucks to the governor’s office in protest on April 16.

Following the demonstration, the provincial government said limited disposal at Suwung would be temporarily allowed until the end of July.From August, however, Indonesia plans to fully end the use of open landfills nationwide, despite uncertainty over replacement systems.

Waste management expert Nur Azizah of Gadjah Mada University said Suwung receives about 1,000 tons of waste per day and has been operating beyond capacity for years.She said up to 70% of the waste was organic material, which can produce methane gas over time, creating fire and landslide risks.

Such incidents have occurred repeatedly in Indonesia, including a collapse in March at the country’s largest landfill outside Jakarta that buried trucks and food stalls and killed seven people.Indonesia’s environment ministry says the country’s 284 million people generate more than 40 million tons of waste annually, with nearly 40% made up of food waste and almost one-fifth plastic.

Only about one-third of that waste is formally managed through recycling or processing, according to researchers, while the rest is often dumped into rivers, landfills or open land.

Fewer than one-third of Indonesia’s 485 landfills have shut since the open-dumping ban was introduced more than a decade ago.“We have not been managing waste properly, resulting in an emergency in all cities and regencies,” former environment minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said recently.

The government plans to begin construction in June on several waste-to-energy projects, including one in Bali expected to process around 1,200 tons of waste per day, though officials say such facilities may take years to become operational.