PET plastic is one of the most widely used types of plastic in the world, but when it has served its purpose, it becomes a pressing global environmental issue. This is because it ends up in landfills in many parts of the world, where it breaks down into polluting microplastics that spread to the air, soil and groundwater. A large portion also end up in the oceans.

With the new chemical technology, researchers can transform PET plastic waste that is overlooked by recyclers into a primary resource in a new form of CO2 sorbent they have developed. The process "upcycles" it to a new material the researchers have named BAETA, which can absorb CO2 out of the atmosphere so efficiently that it easily compares with existing carbon capture technologies.