This new type of soap made from common plastic waste could be latest solution for plastic problem

Solution for plastic problem—Soaps and detergents have become non-negotiable essentials in every household. However, while we can't get enough of these things, there's another household material that we can't seem to dispose of quickly: plastic.

While a connection between the two might seem far-fetched at first, some new, exciting science has helped connect the dots in a way that could benefit the environment. A team of researchers from Virginia Tech has devised a way to upcycle many plastic types into precursors for soap and detergent making, killing two birds with a singular stone.

To understand how this is possible, we need to examine the chemical structures of both materials. Polyethylene, the most common plastic used in consumer products such as food packaging, bottles, buckets, and even bulletproof vests, is shockingly similar to the fatty acids used in manufacturing soaps.

Therefore, it was theoretically possible to convert the unwanted plastic into soap. It turns out that it might be easier than previously thought. However, the team would have to go the nightmare route of plastic burning.

When the material was burned and cooled at exact points, it produced a special type of soot from the burning residue. This soot could then be saponified into the beacon of hygiene: soap. And thus, the world's first 'plastic' soap was born.

There was another bit of silver lining to this project. One reason plastics are such a nightmare is that there are so many types, and we can't process all of them the same way. Therefore, a mountain of energy segregates these types at processing plants.