创新背景

塑料造成的白色污染时环境保护的一大难题，无污染降解处理是解决问题的关键重点，如果在降解塑料后，把降解物有效利用，废物利用和能源转化效率可以共同发展提高。

创新过程

2019年10月，新加坡南洋理工大学针对塑料处理的问题，探索处一种利用化学反应降解塑料的新方法，研究成果于《先进科学》杂志上被报道。新方法是借助钒和阳光来分解塑料。

钒是一种熔点很高的金属，质地坚硬，无磁性，可延展，具有耐盐酸和硫酸的本领，并且耐气、耐盐、耐水腐蚀的性能要比大多数不锈钢好，在空气中不会被氧化，常用于汽车、飞机、航天等化工业中作催化剂。还可制作大功率、大容量、可瞬间充电的绿色环保钒电池。

化学作用是在断裂塑料中的惰性化学键基础上进行的。塑料中含有碳-碳键帮助塑料对大多数反应进行能量势垒，加入钒催化剂降低能量势垒，从而减少驱动反应所需的热量。研究人员将钒催化剂加入塑料制品中，将其暴露在阳光下，塑料分子在光能和钒的化学作用下会被溶解，产生甲酸和水。

甲酸是一种无色而有刺激性气味的液体，具有弱电解质，用途广泛，可以用作氢能燃料电池或防腐清洁产品等。甚至可以在先进技术下催化氢气发电或直接作甲酸电池。阳光强度催化降解转化过程，研究人员表示，要是可以利用再生能源的电力来催化这个化学反应，这项实验就可以达到碳中和的目标。

这种方法并不能用于所有塑料制品，但可以完全分解聚乙烯等不可生物降解的塑料，并将降解物转化为能源继续利用，促进废物利用和能源转化，推动塑料降解可持续发展。

创新关键点

利用钒金属和光能分解塑料，并转化降解物促进电能利用。

Use a chemical reaction of vanadium and sunlight to break down plastics

In October 2019, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore explored a new method of degrading plastics by chemical reactions in response to the problem of plastic disposal. The research results were reported in the journal "Advanced Science". The new method uses vanadium and sunlight to break down plastics.

Vanadium is a metal with a high melting point. It is hard, non-magnetic, malleable, resistant to hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, and has better resistance to gas, salt and water corrosion than most stainless steels. It is oxidized and is often used as a catalyst in the chemical industry such as automobiles, aircraft, and aerospace. It can also make green vanadium batteries with high power, large capacity and instant charging.

The chemical action is based on breaking inert chemical bonds in the plastic. The presence of carbon-carbon bonds in plastics helps plastics hold an energy barrier for most reactions, and the addition of a vanadium catalyst lowers the energy barrier, thereby reducing the amount of heat needed to drive the reaction. The researchers added a vanadium catalyst to a plastic product and exposed it to sunlight. The plastic molecules were dissolved by the chemical action of light energy and vanadium, producing formic acid and water.

Formic acid is a colorless, pungent-smelling liquid with a weak electrolyte that is versatile and can be used as hydrogen fuel cells or anti-corrosion cleaning products. It can even catalyze hydrogen power generation under advanced technology or be directly used as formic acid battery. The intensity of sunlight catalyzes the degradation conversion process, and the researchers say that if electricity from renewable energy sources can be used to catalyze this chemical reaction, the experiment could achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

This method cannot be used for all plastic products, but it can completely decompose non-biodegradable plastics such as polyethylene, and convert the degraded products into energy for continuous use, promote waste utilization and energy conversion, and promote the sustainable development of plastic degradation.