Turning plastic into solid carbon is not easy. Heat the polymers to rearrange their carbon atoms, and they decompose into light hydrocarbons and gases. But researchers at the US National Energy ...

Soft, dark-gray graphite is not just useful in pencils: The highly conductive and heat-resistant mineral is uniquely suited for advanced manufacturing. Yet the United States imports nearly half of the ...

The ORNL method can even make graphite with waste from coal processing and old mines, creating value while performing environmental restoration. "We are very excited because we have found a way to ...