Figure 2. Real-World Hydrogen Production from Plastic Waste Using Solar Energy (IMAGE)
Caption
This figure shows how a one-square-meter outdoor system can turn plastic waste into hydrogen using sunlight.
(a) displays the actual setup of the steel reactor, where a sponge-like catalyst material (Pt-DSA/TiO₂ nanocomposites) floats in a plastic waste solution. Key components such as the nitrogen gas line, gear pump, and gas chromatograph used to measure hydrogen are also shown.
(b) provides a top-down schematic view of the reactor, which includes four quartz windows that let sunlight in.
(c) tracks the system’s performance over two separate days, showing a steady rise in hydrogen production (green) as sunlight intensity (orange) increases throughout the day. Even with natural temperature changes (blue), the system maintained high efficiency, proving it can reliably produce hydrogen from waste in outdoor conditions.
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Institute for Basic Science
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