Source: Interesting Engineering, 4/9/26
"US researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have found a new way to turn the world’s most common plastic waste into gasoline and diesel fuels. Polyethylene is a common polymer used in the manufacturing of grocery bags, kitchen cutting boards, and other consumer goods. Through a specialized molten salt treatment, the long polymer chains in polyethylene are broken down into fuel-grade molecules. Currently, other known methods use high heat to break down plastic, but this new technique accomplishes the same at temperatures around 200°C (392°F). It makes the entire conversion process much cheaper and less energy-intensive."
See https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c01107 for the full study.