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Lv H, Huang F, Zhang F. Upcycling Waste Plastics with a C-C Backbone by Heterogeneous Catalysis. Langmuir 2024; 40:5077-5089. [PMID: 38358312 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Plastics with an inert carbon-carbon (C-C) backbone, such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), are the most widely used types of plastic in human activities. However, many of these polymers were directly discarded in nature after use, and few were appropriately recycled. This not only threatens the natural environment but also leads to the waste of carbon resources. Conventional chemical recycling of these plastics, including pyrolysis and catalytic cracking, requires a high energy input due to the chemical inertness of C-C bonds and C-H bonds and leads to complex product distribution. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the development of catalysts and the introduction of small molecules as additional coreactants, which could potentially overcome these challenges. In this Review, we summarize and highlight catalytic strategies that address these issues in upcycling C-C backbone plastics with small molecules, particularly in heterogeneous catalysis. We believe that this review will inspire the development of upcycling methods for C-C backbone plastics using small molecules and heterogeneous catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huidong Lv
- National Engineering Laboratory of Eco-Friendly Polymeric Materials (Sichuan), College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Huang
- National Engineering Laboratory of Eco-Friendly Polymeric Materials (Sichuan), College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan People's Republic of China
| | - Fan Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory of Eco-Friendly Polymeric Materials (Sichuan), College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan People's Republic of China
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Jaydev SD, Martín AJ, Usteri ME, Chikri K, Eliasson H, Erni R, Pérez-Ramírez J. Consumer Grade Polyethylene Recycling via Hydrogenolysis on Ultrafine Supported Ruthenium Nanoparticles. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202317526. [PMID: 38105396 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202317526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Catalytic hydrogenolysis has the potential to convert high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which comprises about 30 % of plastic waste, into valuable alkanes. Most investigations have focused on increasing activity for lab grade HDPEs displaying low molecular weight, with limited mechanistic understanding of the product distribution. No efficient catalyst is available for consumer grades due to their lower reactivity. This study targets HDPE used in bottle caps, a waste form generated globally at a rate of approximately one million units per hour. Ultrafine ruthenium particles (1 nm) supported on titania (anatase) achieved up to 80 % conversion into light alkanes (C1 -C45 ) under mild conditions (498 K, 20 bar H2 , 4 h) and were reused for three cycles. Small ruthenium nanoparticles were critical to achieving relevant conversions, as activity sharply decreased with particle size. Selectivity commonalities and peculiarities across HDPE grades were disclosed by a reaction modelling approach applied to products. Isomerization cedes to backbone scission as the reaction progresses. Within this trend, low molecular weight favor isomerization whilst high molecular weight favor cleavage. Commercial caps obeyed this trend with decreased activity, anticipating the influence of additives in realistic processing. This study demonstrates effective hydrogenolysis of consumer grade polyethylene and provides selectivity patterns for product control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shibashish D Jaydev
- Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Antonio J Martín
- Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marc-Eduard Usteri
- Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katia Chikri
- Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Henrik Eliasson
- Electron Microscopy Center, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Erni
- Electron Microscopy Center, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Javier Pérez-Ramírez
- Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland
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Ren T, Hinton ZR, Huang R, Epps TH, Korley L, Gorte RJ, Lee D. Increase in the effective viscosity of polyethylene under extreme nanoconfinement. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:024909. [PMID: 38214386 DOI: 10.1063/5.0185144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding polymer transport in nanopores is crucial for optimizing heterogeneously catalyzed processes in polymer upcycling and fabricating high-performance nanocomposite films and membranes. Although confined polymer dynamics have been extensively studied, the behavior of polyethylene (PE)-the most widely used commodity polymer-in pores smaller than 20 nm remains largely unexplored. We investigate the effects of extreme nanoconfinement on PE transport using capillary rise infiltration in silica nanoparticle packings with average pore radii ranging from ∼1 to ∼9 nm. Using in situ ellipsometry and the Lucas-Washburn model, we discover a previously unknown inverse relationship between effective viscosity (ηeff) and average pore radius (Rpore). Additonally, we determine that PE transport under these extreme conditions is primarily governed by physical confinement, rather than pore surface chemistry. We refine an existing theory to provide a generalized formalism to describe the polymer transport dynamics over a wide range of pore radii (from 1 nm and larger). Our results offer valuable insights for optimizing catalyst supports in polymer upcycling and improving infiltration processes for nanocomposite fabrication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Ren
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
- Center for Plastics Innovation, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - Zachary R Hinton
- Center for Plastics Innovation, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - Renjing Huang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Thomas H Epps
- Center for Plastics Innovation, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - LaShanda Korley
- Center for Plastics Innovation, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - Raymond J Gorte
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
- Center for Plastics Innovation, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - Daeyeon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
- Center for Plastics Innovation, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
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