Innovations in converting plastic and greenhouse gases into valuable resources

Students and teachers at Escuela Técnica N°5 in Temperley have developed a project called ‘PP Argento’ (Petróleo Pirolítico Argento) to convert plastic waste into oil through pyrolysis. The initiative aims to address local plastic pollution in the Lomas de Zamora district, where approximately 39 million kilograms of plastic are generated annually. Supported by industrial waste donations from Ivess, the project seeks to scale to a municipal level to establish a chemical recycling plant.

Separately, researchers at the National University of Distance Education (UNED) have published a study in the Chemical Engineering Journal Advances regarding the direct transformation of methane and carbon dioxide into valuable industrial chemicals. Using thermodynamic modeling, the team identified conditions to produce acetic acid, acetone, ethanol, and dimethyl ether. This process aims to bypass energy-intensive intermediate steps, turning greenhouse gases into valuable raw materials rather than environmental waste.