PET plastic, polyethylene terephthalate, is a strong, transparent, and versatile polyester resin used for packaging food and beverages, as well as in textiles and films. Existing solid sorbents for carbon capture are porous, solid-phase materials, including mesoporous silicas, zeolites, and metal-organic frameworks. “We see great potential for this material, not just in the lab, but in real-life industrial carbon capture plants. Large amounts of PET plastic accumulate in the oceans, damaging ecosystems and breaking down into microplastics, the full consequences of which are as yet unknown. But the University of Copenhagen’s new technology turns the plastic waste into power.