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Table Salt is a Surprising Hero in Plastic Recycling

Plastic pollution has become a colossal environmental challenge, with nearly 90% of plastic waste in the United States ending up in landfills or as Pollution. While recycling has long been considered a solution, the economic viability of traditional methods has often fallen short. Enter table salt, or sodium chloride, an unassuming kitchen staple that is emerging as a game-changer in the realm of plastics recycling.

A recent study conducted by Muhammad Rabnawaz, an associate professor at Michigan State University, has demonstrated that table salt can outperform expensive catalysts and significantly reduce costs in the plastic recycling process known as pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is a technique that breaks down plastics into simpler carbon-based compounds, yielding gas, liquid oil, and solid wax. The challenge has always been the undesirable wax byproduct, which accounts for over half of the pyrolysis output.

Rabnawaz and his team initially used copper oxide and table salt to break down polystyrene. This breakthrough led them to explore table salt as a catalyst for polyolefins, which constitute a substantial portion of plastic waste. The results were remarkable: Table salt effectively eliminated the wax byproduct and produced liquid oil containing hydrocarbon molecules similar to those found in diesel fuel.

What makes table salt particularly attractive is its cost-effectiveness. Traditional catalysts, such as platinum, while effective, are prohibitively expensive, requiring significant investments that no company can justify. In contrast, table salt offers a low-cost and sustainable alternative. Furthermore, it can be easily recovered and reused by simply washing the obtained oil with water.

The researchers also explored the use of table salt in the pyrolysis of metalized plastic films commonly found in food packaging, such as potato chip bags. Although pure table salt did not outperform platinum-alumina in this scenario, it provided similar results at a fraction of the cost. Rabnawaz and his team are actively working towards eliminating the need for metalized films by developing more sustainable materials.

While table salt’s application in plastic recycling is still in its early stages, the initial findings are promising. A preliminary economic analysis suggests that commercial pyrolysis reactors could triple their profits simply by incorporating table salt into their processes. The potential cost savings and environmental benefits are substantial.

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