Korea University (KU) Professor Ok Yong Sik (Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering), the director of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Waste Management Program and South Korea’s most cited environmental science researcher, has made headlines for proposing a technology that can tackle the problem of plastic pollution and climate crisis through the carbon, capture, and storage (CCS) system of carbon dioxide that comes from the physical and chemical activation of common-made plastics. For instance, porous carbons were used and tested to measure their absorbing rates, and the environmental impact of plastics was assessed through the research, showing optimistic results.

All nations in the world have the duty of reducing the amounts of plastic produced and wasted through the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Therefore, CCS is a promising technology that can absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and store them in specific places such as the ground to prevent the acceleration of climate change. The research promises a positive aspect for the economic reduction and price tag decrease for absorbing carbon dioxide.