From Space to Earth: Converting Industrial Plastic Waste into High-Performance Nanomaterials

Monday, 9 June 2025

Cecilia explores a different end-of-life pathway for industrial plastics by converting them into carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and co-produced hydrogen through a continuous microwave process. The talk describes how Cecilia is transforming plastic waste into high-performance nanomaterials that could enhance structural composites, energy-storage systems, and other advanced-manufacturing applications, while simultaneously yielding a clean gaseous fuel.

The approach took shape while addressing the extreme mass and resupply limits of long-duration space missions, where closed-loop use of packaging and other polymer components is essential for mission viability. Those same constraints mirror opportunities on Earth: industrial plastic streams often contaminated and difficult to process with conventional recycling contain the carbon and hydrogen needed for local production of valuable materials. By drawing lessons from space-driven circularity and applying them to terrestrial infrastructure, Cecilia’s work offers a practical route from waste to value, aligning environmental responsibility with new economic potential in advanced materials manufacturing.