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Ong A, Teo JYQ, Lim JYC. Interfacial Reactions in Chemical Recycling and Upcycling of Plastics. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024. [PMID: 39214617 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c09315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Depolymerization of plastics is a leading strategy to combat the escalating global plastic waste crisis through chemical recycling, upcycling, and remediation of micro-/nanoplastics. However, critical processes necessary for polymer chain scission, occurring at the polymer-catalyst or polymer-fluid interfaces, remain largely overlooked. Herein, we spotlight the importance of understanding these interfacial chemical processes as a critical necessity for optimizing kinetics and reactivity in plastics recycling and upcycling, controlling reaction outcomes, product distributions, as well as improving the environmental sustainability of these processes. Several examples are highlighted in heterogeneous processes such as hydrogenation over solid catalysts, reaction of plastics in immiscible media, and biocatalysis. Ultimately, judicious exploitation of interfacial reactivity has practical implications in developing practical, robust, and cost-effective processes to reduce plastic waste and enable a viable post-use circular plastics economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Ong
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jerald Y Q Teo
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jason Y C Lim
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117576, Singapore
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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] [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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Kim CA, Sahasrabudhe CA, Wang YY, Yappert R, Heyden A, Huang W, Sadow AD, Peters B. Population Balance Equations for Reactive Separation in Polymer Upcycling. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:4096-4107. [PMID: 38350109 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Many polymer upcycling efforts aim to convert plastic waste into high-value liquid hydrocarbons. However, the subsequent cleavage of middle distillates to light gases can be problematic. The reactor often contains a vapor phase (light gases and middle distillates) and a liquid phase (molten polymers and waxes with a suspended or dissolved catalyst). Because the catalyst resides in the liquid phase, middle distillates that partition into the vapor phase are protected against further cleavage into light gases. In this paper, we consider a simple reactive separation strategy, in which a gas outflow removes the volatile products as they form. We combine vapor-liquid equilibrium models and population balance equations (PBEs) to describe polymer upcycling in a two-phase semibatch reactor. The results suggest that the temperature, headspace volume, and flow rate of the reactor can be used to tune selectivity toward the middle distillates, in addition to the molecular mechanism of catalysis. We anticipate that two-phase reactor models will be important in many polymer upcycling processes and that reactive separation strategies will provide ways to boost the yield of the desired products in these cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changhae Andrew Kim
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Chinmay A Sahasrabudhe
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yi-Yu Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Ryan Yappert
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Andreas Heyden
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Wenyu Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- 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
- Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Baron Peters
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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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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