Perovskite is now used in solar panels to power machines that break down plastic waste and other products into their base compounds. This may soon be a clean way to produce the chemicals and products we require for our economy in the future.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered a method of creating chemical products. By utilizing a mineral called Perovskite, they can supercharge solar cells to power it. Discovered in 1839, the uses of Perovskite have been limited. Now, using this machine powered by solar energy, Perovskite could revolutionize the way we utilize plastic waste and CO2 emissions.
It works by breaking down the plastic and cO2 into their base components, which can then be exported and used for various purposes in industry. Chemicals are not cheap to manufacture and are almost entirely extracted from our environment to power our world. This reactor is the first of its kind, as nobody has been able to convert waste streams into high-value products before. Right now, the focus is on fuel and chemical products, but as technology develops, they believe they can use it to manufacture various products.
The process is energy intensive, but because the machine is solar-powered, it not only converts harmful waste into productive forces for our world but doesn’t contribute directly back to the degradation of our natural world. Perovskite has been used for several different purposes, but in solar energy specifically, it has the potential to change the game in many different ways. Last year, scientists broke the world record for power generation by using solar energy, which utilizes minerals.
While the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is well underway, it isn’t an instantaneous process. Therefore, through technologies like this reactor, we could potentially use the byproducts of such harmful chemicals to power the legacy machines that still use these fuels while continuing our transition to a cleaner, safer world.
