Technology

The method developed by the researchers involves placing VVF power cables in a glass reactor where they are subjected to microwave radiation. The pyrolysis carbonizes the PVC insulation, exposing the copper wire and allowing it to be easily recovered.

So putting cables in a microwave to melt the plastic?

This was achieved without the generation or use of toxic chemicals. The researchers explain that during the pyrolysis, the PVC insulation underwent rapid dichlorination and carbonization, which prevented the formation of harmful byproducts such as tar, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins.

This may be an improvement...

While this might be an improvement over chucking cables onto a bonfire but i think it's unnecessarily high tech. If the cables already need to be cut laterally into specific sections to conform to the wavelength and it uses 200w, then a better design would be to pull the cable over a blade to part the sheath like a hot dog bun. You could do that with a fraction of the power, no emissions from the pyrolysis and simpler more available tools; just some dies/jigs, blades and a motor. It could even be hand cranked. This isn't something that would get research funding though. And I bet there is already a tinkerer doing it somewhere in a shack in Ghana or Pakistan.

If no harmful byproducts are produced, can we this to evaporate Plastic?