Clean hydrogen created from plastic waste using battery acid from old cars and solar power

A close up of a pile of plastic water and soda bottles all laying on top of one another. .

Scientists have developed a method to turn plastic waste into clean hydrogen using solar power and acid from old car batteries.

The one-pot process transforms hard-to-recycle plastics into valuable industrial chemicals and clean fuel, potentially creating a circular upcycling system that tackles multiple problematic waste streams at once, the researchers say.