Plastic waste turned into CO2 capture solution

September 09, 2025

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have unveiled a groundbreaking method that transforms plastic waste into an innovative climate solution by enabling efficient and sustainable carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. This pioneering approach tackles two urgent global challenges at once: plastic pollution and the climate crisis.

The research, recently published in Science Advances, highlights how discarded PET plastic—one of the world’s most commonly used plastics—can be upcycled into a powerful material for capturing CO2 emissions.

Turning plastic waste into climate solutions

While global CO2 levels continue to rise despite decades of climate policies, our oceans are choking on plastic waste. PET plastic, used in everything from beverage bottles to food packaging, typically ends up in landfills or the ocean, where it breaks down into harmful microplastics that pollute air, soil, and water.

To address both problems simultaneously, researchers have developed a cutting-edge method that converts PET plastic into a high-performance CO2 sorbent material called BAETA. Unlike conventional recycling, which often struggles to handle degraded or contaminated plastics, this process gives discarded PET a new life as a sustainable carbon-capturing resource.

Introducing BAETA: a next-generation CO2 capture material

The newly developed BAETA material has a porous, powder-like structure that can be pelletized. Its chemically enhanced surface allows it to bind CO2 with remarkable efficiency—comparable to, and in some cases exceeding, existing carbon capture technologies.

Once BAETA absorbs CO2, the gas can be safely released through heating, enabling collection, storage, or conversion into renewable resources. This makes the process both sustainable and practical for industrial carbon capture systems, such as installations on factory exhaust chimneys.

According to lead researcher Margarita Poderyte, the true advantage lies in its dual benefit:

 “We’re not just recycling plastic; we’re transforming it into a solution that actively reduces greenhouse gases. This way, waste becomes a valuable climate resource instead of an environmental burden.”

Scalable, sustainable, and industrially viable

Unlike traditional CO2 capture materials that require extreme processing conditions, BAETA can be synthesized at ambient temperatures, making it more energy-efficient and easier to scale.

Co-author Associate Professor Jiwoong Lee highlights its flexibility and durability:

• Works efficiently from room temperature up to 150°C, ideal for use in hot industrial exhaust systems.
• Maintains long-lasting performance without significant degradation.
• Can be produced at large scale with relatively simple chemical processes.

This makes BAETA not only environmentally sustainable but also financially viable for widespread adoption.

A win-win for oceans and climate

What makes this innovation truly revolutionary is its potential to clean up oceans while fighting climate change. PET plastic collected from marine environments, particularly degraded forms unsuitable for traditional recycling, is actually ideal for the BAETA process.

Poderyte explains:

 “The PET plastic polluting our oceans is perfectly suited for this technology. By harvesting and upcycling it, we can both clean marine ecosystems and create an effective tool for reducing CO2 emissions.”

This creates a strong economic and environmental incentive to remove ocean plastics, reframing plastic pollution and climate change as interconnected problems with a shared solution.

The road ahead: from lab to industry

The researchers are now preparing to scale production from lab quantities to tons of BAETA material, aiming to integrate it into real-world carbon capture plants.

The main challenge, they note, is not technical but financial—convincing policymakers and investors to back large-scale implementation. If successful, this technology could revolutionize how we approach both plastic waste management and global CO2 reduction.

This pioneering research shows that waste can be transformed into climate-saving resources. By merging recycling with carbon capture technology, the University of Copenhagen team may have unlocked a game-changing path toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.