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Yeah there may be awful byproducts at burn temperatures required for optimal power generation but if they can be captured/condensed/solidified they can be colle

• KennyBlanken 4y ago
  Yeah, let's just bury those toxic cancer-causing compounds! What could possibly go wrong? looks over at the 1300 superfund sites around the nation
• shagie 4y ago
  The energy to condense out and capture the undesirable products becomes comparable to the energy capture it. Japan's approach isn't because they need energy but rather that they are trying to minimize landfill (as its an island and space is at a premium). The resulting products are carcinogenic toxic waste - which comes with additional challenges for disposal. In the US, it is likely more desirable to bury the inert polystyrene rather than trying to deal with the PAHs ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycyclic_aromatic_hydrocarbon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycyclic_aromatic_hydrocarbo... ) and other byproducts. The article is describing a process where UV light and a catalyst break down/transform polystyrene into diphenylmethane ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenylmethane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenylmethane ) which is a feed stock for many other (useful) processes. The paper referenced in the article is Cascade degradation and upcycling of polystyrene waste to high-value chemicals https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2203346119 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2203346119