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Sun S, Huang W. Chemical Upcycling of Polyolefin Plastics Using Structurally Well-defined Catalysts. JACS AU 2024; 4:2081-2098. [PMID: 38938810 PMCID: PMC11200224 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Single-use polyolefins are widely used in our daily life and industrial production due to their light weight, low cost, superior stability, and durability. However, the rapid accumulation of plastic waste and low-profit recycling methods resulted in a global plastic crisis. Catalytic hydrogenolysis is regarded as a promising technique, which can effectively and selectively convert polyolefin plastic waste to value-added products. In this perspective, we focus on the design and synthesis of structurally well-defined hydrogenolysis catalysts across mesoscopic, nanoscopic, and atomic scales, accompanied by our insights into future directions in catalyst design for further enhancing catalytic performance. These design principles can also be applied to the depolymerization of other polymers and ultimately realize the chemical upcycling of waste plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simin Sun
- Department
of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- US
Department of Energy, Ames National Laboratory, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Wenyu Huang
- Department
of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- US
Department of Energy, Ames National Laboratory, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
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2
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Nolte RJM, Elemans JAAW. Artificial Processive Catalytic Systems. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202304230. [PMID: 38314967 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202304230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Processive catalysts remain attached to a substrate and perform multiple rounds of catalysis. They are abundant in nature. This review highlights artificial processive catalytic systems, which can be divided into (A) catalytic rings that move along a polymer chain, (B) catalytic pores that hold polymer chains and decompose them, (C) catalysts that remain attached to and move around a cyclic substrate via supramolecular interactions, and (D) anchored catalysts that remain in contact with a substrate via multiple catalytic interactions (see frontispiece).
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Affiliation(s)
- Roeland J M Nolte
- Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Heyendaalseweg 125, 6525AJ, Nijmegen, The, Netherlands
| | - Johannes A A W Elemans
- Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Heyendaalseweg 125, 6525AJ, Nijmegen, The, Netherlands
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Kang Q, Chu M, Xu P, Wang X, Wang S, Cao M, Ivasenko O, Sham TK, Zhang Q, Sun Q, Chen J. Entropy Confinement Promotes Hydrogenolysis Activity for Polyethylene Upcycling. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202313174. [PMID: 37799095 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202313174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Chemical upcycling that catalyzes waste plastics back to high-purity chemicals holds great promise in end-of-life plastics valorization. One of the main challenges in this process is the thermodynamic limitations imposed by the high intrinsic entropy of polymer chains, which makes their adsorption on catalysts unfavorable and the transition state unstable. Here, we overcome this challenge by inducing the catalytic reaction inside mesoporous channels, which possess a strong confined ability to polymer chains, allowing for stabilization of the transition state. This approach involves the synthesis of p-Ru/SBA catalysts, in which Ru nanoparticles are uniformly distributed within the channels of an SBA-15 support, using a precise impregnation method. The unique design of the p-Ru/SBA catalyst has demonstrated significant improvements in catalytic performance for the conversion of polyethylene into high-value liquid fuels, particularly diesel. The catalyst achieved a high solid conversion rate of 1106 g ⋅ gRu -1 ⋅ h-1 at 230 °C. Comparatively, this catalytic activity is 4.9 times higher than that of a control catalyst, Ru/SiO2 , and 14.0 times higher than that of a commercial catalyst, Ru/C, at 240 °C. This remarkable catalytic activity opens up immense opportunities for the chemical upcycling of waste plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyun Kang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Mingyu Chu
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Panpan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Multifunctional Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Advanced Materials Division, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Xuchun Wang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Shiqi Wang
- Innovation Center for Chemical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Muhan Cao
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Oleksandr Ivasenko
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Tsun-Kong Sham
- Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Qiao Zhang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Qiming Sun
- Innovation Center for Chemical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Jinxing Chen
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
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Tennakoon A, Wu X, Meirow M, Howell D, Willmon J, Yu J, Lamb JV, Delferro M, Luijten E, Huang W, Sadow AD. Two Mesoporous Domains Are Better Than One for Catalytic Deconstruction of Polyolefins. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:17936-17944. [PMID: 37540829 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Catalytic hydrogenolysis of polyolefins into valuable liquid, oil, or wax-like hydrocarbon chains for second-life applications is typically accompanied by the hydrogen-wasting co-formation of low value volatiles, notably methane, that increase greenhouse gas emissions. Catalytic sites confined at the bottom of mesoporous wells, under conditions in which the pore exerts the greatest influence over the mechanism, are capable of producing less gases than unconfined sites. A new architecture was designed to emphasize this pore effect, with the active platinum nanoparticles embedded between linear, hexagonal mesoporous silica and gyroidal cubic MCM-48 silica (mSiO2/Pt/MCM-48). This catalyst deconstructs polyolefins selectively into ∼C20-C40 paraffins and cleaves C-C bonds at a rate (TOF = 4.2 ± 0.3 s-1) exceeding that of materials lacking these combined features while generating negligible volatile side products including methane. The time-independent product distribution is consistent with a processive mechanism for polymer deconstruction. In contrast to time- and polymer length-dependent products obtained from non-porous catalysts, mSiO2/Pt/MCM-48 yields a C28-centered Gaussian distribution of waxy hydrocarbons from polyolefins of varying molecular weight, composition, and physical properties, including low-density polyethylene, isotactic polypropylene, ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene, and mixtures of multiple, post-industrial polyolefins. Coarse-grained simulation reveals that the porous-core architecture enables the paraffins to diffuse away from the active platinum site, preventing secondary reactions that produce gases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akalanka Tennakoon
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- Chemical and Biological Sciences Division, Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Xun Wu
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- Chemical and Biological Sciences Division, Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Max Meirow
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Daniel Howell
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Jarod Willmon
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Jiaqi Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Jessica V Lamb
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Massimiliano Delferro
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Erik Luijten
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Wenyu Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- Chemical and Biological Sciences Division, Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Aaron D Sadow
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- Chemical and Biological Sciences Division, Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
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