TL&DR Summary: all real systems have energy and matter inputs, and generate waste streams of both matter and “entropy” (i.e. the entropy of the universe always increases). A “circular economy” is a thermodynamic impossibility. We should instead talk about optimal recycle, where the environmental impacts of matter waste are balanced against energy input and its […]
Tag: plastics
Chemical Recycling of Plastics
People hate plastics, or at least often say they do. In fact they are happy to have their lives saved by single use medical plastics, and they reward the convenience of plastics at the cash register whenever they’re offered, unless somebody gets in the way with regulations, but they still claim to hate them. Why […]
The Refinery of the Future
photo credit: Google Gemini TL&DR: we will continue to refine petroleum to make the chemicals and materials we need in a decarbonized future. We’ll just do it without the burning. It will be complex, expensive, and will take a new kind of refinery which looks quite different than today’s refinery. You’ve no doubt heard the […]