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Cheng J, Xie J, Xi Y, Wu X, Zhang R, Mao Z, Yang H, Li Z, Li C. Selective Upcycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate towards High-valued Oxygenated Chemical Methyl p-Methyl Benzoate using a Cu/ZrO 2 Catalyst. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202319896. [PMID: 38197522 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202319896] [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: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Upgrading of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste into valuable oxygenated molecules is a fascinating process, yet it remains challenging. Herein, we developed a two-step strategy involving methanolysis of PET to dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), followed by hydrogenation of DMT to produce the high-valued chemical methyl p-methyl benzoate (MMB) using a fixed-bed reactor and a Cu/ZrO2 catalyst. Interestingly, we discovered the phase structure of ZrO2 significantly regulates the selectivity of products. Cu supported on monoclinic ZrO2 (5 %Cu/m-ZrO2 ) exhibits an exceptional selectivity of 86 % for conversion of DMT to MMB, while Cu supported on tetragonal ZrO2 (5 %Cu/t-ZrO2 ) predominantly produces p-xylene (PX) with selectivity of 75 %. The superior selectivity of MMB over Cu/m-ZrO2 can be attributed to the weaker acid sites present on m-ZrO2 compared to t-ZrO2 . This weak acidity of m-ZrO2 leads to a moderate adsorption capability of MMB, and facilitating its desorption. Furthermore, DFT calculations reveal Cu/m-ZrO2 catalyst shows a higher effective energy barrier for cleavage of second C-O bond compared to Cu/t-ZrO2 catalyst; this distinction ensures the high selectivity of MMB. This catalyst not only presents an approach for upgrading of PET waste into fine chemicals but also offers a strategy for controlling the primary product in a multistep hydrogenation reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianian Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis, Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Jin Xie
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis, Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Yongjie Xi
- State Key Laboratory for Oxo Synthesis and Selective Oxidation, Suzhou Research Institute of LICP, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 Gansu, China
| | - Xiaojing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis, Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Ruihui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis, Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Zhihe Mao
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis, Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Hongfang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis, Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Zelong Li
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis, Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Can Li
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis, Gansu Province, State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian, Liaoning, 116023, China
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