Researchers have developed a solar-powered reactor to break down hard-to-recycle forms of plastic waste—such as drink bottles, nylon textiles and polyurethane foams—using acid recovered from old car batteries, and converting it into clean hydrogen fuel and valuable industrial chemicals. The results are reported in the journal Joule.

The reactor, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, is powered by the energy from the sun, and could be a cheaper, more sustainable alternative to current chemical-based recycling methods. The team says their method could create a circular system where one waste stream solves another.

Global plastic production is more than 400 million tons per year, yet only 18% is recycled. The rest is burned, landfilled, or leaks into ecosystems. The researchers believe that their method, known as solar-powered acid photoreforming, could become part of the solution to the global mountain of plastic waste.