{"id":440696,"date":"2026-04-21T00:32:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T07:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=440696"},"modified":"2026-04-21T00:32:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T07:32:58","slug":"plastic-waste-to-fuel-breakthrough-scientists-crack-polyethylene-into-gasoline-at-just-170c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=440696","title":{"rendered":"Plastic Waste to Fuel Breakthrough: Scientists Crack Polyethylene into Gasoline at Just 170\u00b0C"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"485\" data-attachment-id=\"440697\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=440697\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1168,784\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0 Plastic Waste to Fuel Breakthrough  Scientists Crack Polyethylene into Gasoline at Just 170\u00b0C\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?fit=723%2C485&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?resize=723%2C485&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-440697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?resize=1024%2C687&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?resize=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?resize=768%2C516&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?resize=640%2C430&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?w=1168&amp;ssl=1 1168w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A major breakthrough announced in April 2026 by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They\u2019ve developed a new chemical process that turns common plastic waste\u2014specifically polyethylene (PE), found in shopping bags, food packaging, and cutting boards\u2014into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels at unusually low temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Traditional methods for converting plastic waste to fuel rely on<strong> pyrolysis <\/strong>(heating in the absence of oxygen), which typically requires temperatures of 450\u2013600\u00b0C (842\u20131,112\u00b0F) or higher. This makes them energy-intensive and expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ORNL team uses a <strong>molten salt system<\/strong> based on commercially available aluminum chloride-containing salts. These salts act as both the reaction medium (solvent) and the catalyst:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The plastic is mixed directly into the molten salts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Charged aluminum atoms in the salt create strongly acidic \u201chot spots\u201d that break the long polymer chains of polyethylene into shorter hydrocarbon molecules.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simpler chains produce gasoline-like fuel; more complex ones yield diesel-like fractions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The entire reaction happens in a single \u201cone-pot\u201d step under mild conditions\u2014no extra noble-metal catalysts, organic solvents, or external hydrogen gas is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key advantage:<\/strong> It runs at <strong>temperatures below 200\u00b0C (392\u00b0F)<\/strong>\u2014roughly the temperature of a home oven\u2014dramatically cutting energy use and costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Impressive results:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Yield:<\/strong> Approximately <strong>60% gasoline-range hydrocarbons <\/strong>under these mild conditions. interestingengineering.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The salts are stable, cheap, and widely available.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The process is highly selective and scalable, addressing two big hurdles of earlier plastic-to-fuel technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zhenzhen Yang, ORNL staff scientist and co-corresponding author, highlighted: \u201cThis is the first time molten salts were used as media to produce high-value-added chemicals from waste without any catalytic initiator or solvent and at a temperature below 200 degrees Celsius.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liqi Qiu, a postdoctoral researcher on the team, added that the polymer source is \u201cabundantly available from consumer waste, and our catalyst system, aluminum molten salts, is very cheap. This advance may be promising for industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plastic waste is a growing global crisis, and most polyethylene ends up in landfills or the environment. This method offers a practical way to upcycle it into valuable transportation fuels while using far less energy. The team has already applied for a patent, and the work was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The salts do have one current limitation\u2014they\u2019re hygroscopic (they absorb moisture from the air), so future work will focus on stabilizing them for industrial use. Still, this represents a significant step toward more efficient, lower-cost chemical recycling of plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Molten salt catalysis<\/strong> is a powerful chemical technique where <strong>molten salts<\/strong> (ionic compounds melted into a liquid state) serve as both the<strong> reaction medium (solvent)<\/strong> and the <strong>catalyst <\/strong>itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ordinary table salt (NaCl) melts at a scorching 801 \u00b0C (1,474 \u00b0F). But when you mix certain salts\u2014especially aluminum chloride (AlCl\u2083) with sodium chloride (NaCl) in the right ratio\u2014you create a <strong>eutectic mixture<\/strong> that melts at a much lower temperature (around 150 \u00b0C or 302 \u00b0F). The result is a clear, flowing liquid made entirely of ions (charged atoms\/molecules) with no water or organic solvents involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the first time molten salts have been used this way for plastic upcycling at such low temperatures, and the team has already filed a patent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">_____________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Polyethylene Upcycling to Liquid Alkanes in Molten Salts under Neat and External Hydrogen Source-Free Conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the <strong>peer-reviewed scientific paper <\/strong>published in the Journal of the <strong>American Chemical Society (JACS)<\/strong> on April 7, 2025 (issue: May 14, 2025, volume 147, issue 19, pages 16207\u201316216).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>DOI:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/jacs.5c01107\">doi.org\/10.1021\/jacs.5c01107<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Full citation: <\/strong>Qiu, L.; Polo-Garzon, F.; Daemen, L. L.; Kim, M.-J.; Guo, J.; Sumpter, B. G.; Koehler, M. R.; Steren, C. A.; Wang, T.; Kearney, L. T.; Saito, T.; Yang, Z.; Dai, S. Polyethylene Upcycling to Liquid Alkanes in Molten Salts under Neat and External Hydrogen Source-Free Conditions. J. Am. Chem.<strong> Soc. 2025<\/strong>, 147 (19), 16207\u201316216.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work was led by <strong>Liqi Qiu<\/strong> (University of Tennessee, Knoxville \/ ORNL) with a multidisciplinary team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), University of Tennessee, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Key contributors include Zhenzhen Yang and Sheng Dai (corresponding authors).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Development of facile approaches to convert plastic waste into liquid fuels under neat conditions is highly desired but challenging, particularly without noble metal catalysts and an external hydrogen source. Herein, highly efficient and selective polyethylene-to-gasoline oil (branched C\u2086\u2013C\u2081\u2082 alkanes) conversion was achieved under mild conditions (&lt;170 \u00b0C) using commercially available AlCl\u2083-containing molten salts as reaction media and to provide catalytic sites (no extra solvents, additives, or hydrogen feeding). The high catalytic efficiency and selectivity was ensured by the abundant active Al sites with strong Lewis acidity (comparable to the Al type in acidic zeolite) and highly ionic nature of the molten salts to stabilize the carbenium intermediates. Dynamic genesis of the Al sites was elucidated via time-resolved Al K-edge soft X-ray and \u00b2\u2077Al NMR, confirming the tricoordinated Al\u00b3\u207a as active sites and its coordination with the as-generated alkene\/aromatic intermediates. The carbenium formation and polyethylene chain variation was illustrated by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and an isotope-labeling experiment. Theoretical simulations further demonstrated the successive hydride abstraction, \u03b2-scission, isomerization, and internal hydrogen transfer reaction pathway with AlCl\u2083 as active sites. This facile catalytic system can further achieve the conversion of robust, densely assembled, and high molecular weight plastic model compounds to liquid alkane products in the diesel range.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key Experimental Results:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Conditions:<\/strong> Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is mixed directly into a molten AlCl\u2083\/NaCl eutectic (optimal 2:1 molar ratio). The reaction runs neat (no solvents) <strong>at 170 \u00b0C for 5 hours<\/strong> under inert argon (ambient pressure works fine). No noble metals, no added hydrogen, no organic solvents. osti.gov<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Performance:<\/strong> <strong>~63% yield of liquid alkanes<\/strong> (C\u2086\u2013C\u2081\u2084 range), primarily branched gasoline-range hydrocarbons (C\u2086\u2013C\u2081\u2082) with some diesel-range fractions. The salts melt around 150 \u00b0C, dissolve the plastic, and catalyze cracking\/isomerization in one pot. osti.gov<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Substrate versatility:<\/strong> Works on consumer-grade LDPE (e.g., from bags or cutting boards) and even high-molecular-weight, densely packed model plastics \u2192 diesel-range alkanes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Selectivity:<\/strong> High because the ionic molten salt stabilizes carbenium ions and prevents over-cracking or coke formation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AlCl\u2083 in the molten salt provides strong Lewis acid sites (tricoordinated Al\u00b3\u207a). These abstract hydrides from the polyethylene chain, forming carbenium ions that undergo \u03b2-scission (chain breaking), isomerization, and internal hydrogen transfer \u2014 all without external H\u2082. Advanced in-situ techniques (time-resolved soft X-ray spectroscopy, \u00b2\u2077Al NMR, inelastic neutron scattering, isotope labeling, and DFT calculations) mapped every step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why This Paper Is a Breakthrough<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mildest conditions<\/strong> yet for plastic-to-fuel conversion (far below typical pyrolysis &gt;450 \u00b0C).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Truly<strong> &#8220;neat&#8221; and hydrogen-free<\/strong> \u2014 previous methods needed high pressure H\u2082 or expensive catalysts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uses cheap, commercially available salts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The team has filed a patent; industry interest is high because of the low energy input and scalability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can read the full paper (paywalled) here: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/jacs.5c01107\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/jacs.5c01107<\/a><br>Free supporting information (methods, spectra, etc.): available on the ACS site.<br>ORNL summary: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ornl.gov\/publication\/polyethylene-upcycling-liquid-alkanes-molten-salts-under-neat-and-external-hydrogen\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ornl.gov publication page<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A major breakthrough announced in April 2026 by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).<br \/>\nThey\u2019ve developed a new chemical process that turns common plastic waste\u2014specifically polyethylene (PE), found in shopping bags, food packaging, and cutting boards\u2014into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels at unusually low temperatures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":440697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691842406,691842402,691842407,691842404,691842401,691842405,691840921,691822741],"class_list":{"0":"post-440696","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-gasoline-range-hydrocarbons","9":"tag-journal-of-the-american-chemical-society-jacs","10":"tag-liqi-qiu-university-of-tennessee","11":"tag-molten-salt-system","12":"tag-peer-reviewed-scientific-paper","13":"tag-plastic-waste","14":"tag-pyrolysis-gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry-py-gc-ms","15":"tag-u-s-department-of-energy-doe","17":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Plastic-Waste-to-Fuel-Breakthrough-Scientists-Crack-Polyethylene-into-Gasoline-at-Just-170%C2%B0C.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1QE0","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":389023,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=389023","url_meta":{"origin":440696,"position":0},"title":"UN\u2019s \u2018plastics treaty\u2019 sports a junk science wrapper","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"16\/07\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Just as people were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to the Trump administration\u2019s rollback of onerous climate policies, the United Nations is set to finalize a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty by the end of the year that will impose new regulations and, ultimately, higher costs on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"global plastic waste\"","block_context":{"text":"global plastic waste","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=global-plastic-waste"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00pj059_Plastic_Jesus_Stop_Making_Stupid_People_Famous_Grey_with_Red_letters_Stencil_Acrylic_on_Paper_Unframed_24x22_sale_1150_Framed_24x30_1300_edition_of_1_master-1.webp?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00pj059_Plastic_Jesus_Stop_Making_Stupid_People_Famous_Grey_with_Red_letters_Stencil_Acrylic_on_Paper_Unframed_24x22_sale_1150_Framed_24x30_1300_edition_of_1_master-1.webp?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00pj059_Plastic_Jesus_Stop_Making_Stupid_People_Famous_Grey_with_Red_letters_Stencil_Acrylic_on_Paper_Unframed_24x22_sale_1150_Framed_24x30_1300_edition_of_1_master-1.webp?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 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Researchers analyzed autopsy brain samples and found surprisingly high concentrations of tiny plastic particles, with levels roughly 50% higher in 2024 samples compared to 2016 ones. The brain showed higher plastic accumulation than organs like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Bad Science\"","block_context":{"text":"Bad Science","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bad-science"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-human-brain-is-now-full-of-plastic.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":343772,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=343772","url_meta":{"origin":440696,"position":2},"title":"Banana waste for synfuels has an increasing appeal","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"19\/09\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientists from the United Kingdom\u2019s Northumbria University (located in historic Newcastle, once the center of the British coal industry) and their partners in Pakistan are converting banana waste into eco-friendly textiles and clean energy, according to Shubhangi Dua, writing in Interesting Engineering.","rel":"","context":"In \"banana farming\"","block_context":{"text":"banana farming","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=banana-farming"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Banana-Plantation-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Banana-Plantation-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Banana-Plantation-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Banana-Plantation-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Banana-Plantation-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":399806,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=399806","url_meta":{"origin":440696,"position":3},"title":"Failures of the renewables transition are insults to taxpayers","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/09\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Natural gas and crude oil\u00a0are commonly needed fossil fuels to manufacture insulation, wires, and computers used in all methods of generating electricity. This is because components of natural gas and oil are essential feedstocks for creating plastics, which are used for insulation and many computer parts. Fossil fuels are also\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Computers\"","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=computers"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQNDCiQA57RPyuRLBXAurpuYp88WHEFYdDzepIhC-TGGShDh6HGjNNIn_YQPdJRoC-5h-ez0NRLr2Ue617RUFUZf37n84H7HhmDNprfzwet80INc3N48GIW4vG_cXkPXkoSPQNHmQkbYFAuTaYSIjVfL_OPkPQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQNDCiQA57RPyuRLBXAurpuYp88WHEFYdDzepIhC-TGGShDh6HGjNNIn_YQPdJRoC-5h-ez0NRLr2Ue617RUFUZf37n84H7HhmDNprfzwet80INc3N48GIW4vG_cXkPXkoSPQNHmQkbYFAuTaYSIjVfL_OPkPQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQNDCiQA57RPyuRLBXAurpuYp88WHEFYdDzepIhC-TGGShDh6HGjNNIn_YQPdJRoC-5h-ez0NRLr2Ue617RUFUZf37n84H7HhmDNprfzwet80INc3N48GIW4vG_cXkPXkoSPQNHmQkbYFAuTaYSIjVfL_OPkPQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQNDCiQA57RPyuRLBXAurpuYp88WHEFYdDzepIhC-TGGShDh6HGjNNIn_YQPdJRoC-5h-ez0NRLr2Ue617RUFUZf37n84H7HhmDNprfzwet80INc3N48GIW4vG_cXkPXkoSPQNHmQkbYFAuTaYSIjVfL_OPkPQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQNDCiQA57RPyuRLBXAurpuYp88WHEFYdDzepIhC-TGGShDh6HGjNNIn_YQPdJRoC-5h-ez0NRLr2Ue617RUFUZf37n84H7HhmDNprfzwet80INc3N48GIW4vG_cXkPXkoSPQNHmQkbYFAuTaYSIjVfL_OPkPQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":349752,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=349752","url_meta":{"origin":440696,"position":4},"title":"First warming, then climate, now plastics \u2014 energy company lawfare","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/11\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cExxon Knew!\u201d The battle cry has inflamed and inspired climate activists for decades. Since the 1970s, they allege, Exxon Knew that human-caused climate change is \u201creal\u201d \u2013 but lied about it, claimed there wasn\u2019t a \u201ccrisis,\u201d and kept marketing its \u201cplanet-killing\u201d fuels and petrochemical feed stocks.","rel":"","context":"In \"California\"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=california"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Green-judge-court-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C440&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Green-judge-court-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C440&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Green-judge-court-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C440&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Green-judge-court-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C440&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Green-judge-court-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C440&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":349537,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=349537","url_meta":{"origin":440696,"position":5},"title":"Exxon Knew! First Warming And Climate, Now Plastics","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"30\/10\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Plastics are ubiquitous: from eyeglass frames and lenses, to television, computer and cell phone housings, wind turbine blades and nacelles, solar panel frames, medical equipment, devices and garments, car and airplane interiors, backpacks, skis, football helmets, shoes, grocery bags and infinitely more. Plastic packaging preserves and protects products that involve\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"\u201cExxon Knew\u201d\"","block_context":{"text":"\u201cExxon Knew\u201d","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=exxon-knew"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0-Plastics-1024x577.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0-Plastics-1024x577.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0-Plastics-1024x577.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0-Plastics-1024x577.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=440696"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":440718,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440696\/revisions\/440718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/440697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=440696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=440696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=440696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}