Polyethylene microplastic contamination commonly found in wastewater can be extracted to create electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.
Technology
30 January 2023
Microplastic beads, like these in cosmetic facial scrubs, are accumulating in the world’s waters. STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Plastic fragments that contaminate water sources around the world and are believed to be harmful to our health could be recycled to make electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.
Jinsub Choi at Inha University in South Korea and his colleagues found a way to extract microplastics made of polyethylene, the most common type of plastic, from contaminated water and turn them into electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. This is the type of battery…
