Researchers Discover a Method to Convert Plastic Into Diamonds

 

Because of a recent discovery made by western scientists, recycling technology has reached a new milestone. Researchers in Germany and California have discovered a method to turn plastic into nanodiamonds, incredibly tiny diamonds.

It all began in 2017 when the same researchers created diamonds out of polystyrene (Styrofoam). Using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics, which are typically used in bottles, garments, carpets, and other items, these scientists are back at it five years later. Science Advances released the results on Friday.

The discovery opens the door for a brand-new recycling method that is based on exoplanets like Uranus and Neptune, two of our galaxy's diamond-raining exoplanets. Scientists recreated the harsh weather that occurs on these worlds to produce diamond rainfall and got the same outcomes.

The hydrogen and carbon in polystyrene are the same as those on Uranus and Neptune. They subjected the substance to an intense X-ray laser, which quickly heated it to 4700 degrees Celsius and compressed it by 150 gigapascals to mimic the conditions present inside frozen planets.

With two fast laser hits, the scientists were able to produce nanodiamonds, but they soon discovered that one essential component, oxygen, was lacking. PET, which has a nice balance of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, comes into play in this situation.

The same tests were performed on PET, but the researchers also employed a method known as small angle X-ray diffraction to track the rate and size of diamond growth. The research team discovered that oxygen was promoting diamond production, causing them to grow larger under greater pressure over time.

With just one hit from the X-ray laser, which had a total weight of a few micrograms, they were also able to produce several additional extremely small diamonds. Dominik Kraus, a scientist at the German research facility, claimed that this wasn't sufficient because they would need to create at least a few milligrammes in order for it to be useful. In the future, it might be ramped up considerably more to enable proper everyday recycling.