| Title |
A two-stage strategy for upcycling chlorine-contaminated plastic waste |
| ID_Doc |
8199 |
| Authors |
Kots, PA; Vance, BC; Quinn, CM; Wang, C; Vlachos, DG |
| Title |
A two-stage strategy for upcycling chlorine-contaminated plastic waste |
| Year |
2023 |
| Published |
Nature Sustainability, 6.0, 10 |
| DOI |
10.1038/s41893-023-01147-z |
| Abstract |
Chemical upcycling of polyolefin plastic waste to lubricant, wax and fuel-range hydrocarbons over metal-based catalysts is a crucial technological solution to the enormous environmental threat posed by plastic waste. However, currently available methods are incompatible with chlorine-contaminated feedstocks. Here we report a two-stage strategy for upcycling chlorine-contaminated polypropylene. First, magnesia-alumina mixed oxide at 30 bar H-2 and 250 & DEG;C serves as a chlorine trap by rapidly forming solid chloride, resulting in nearly complete chlorine extraction from the polyolefin melt. This enables the upcycling of plastic waste with up to 10% polyvinyl chloride content to lubricants over ruthenium-based catalysts, in the second stage. The strategy is also applicable to chlorinated aromatics and alkanes. The proposed strategy renders hydrocracking and hydrogenolysis catalysts less sensitive to the chlorine impurities in feedstocks while eliminating HCl emissions and chlorine contamination in products. It could incentivize further progress in plastics upcycling. Chemical upcycling of polyolefin plastic waste over metal-based catalysts is crucial for the circular economy, but currently available methods are incompatible with chlorine-contaminated feedstocks. Here the authors propose a two-stage dechlorination-hydrogenolysis (or hydrocracking) upcycling strategy to tackle this problem. |
| Author Keywords |
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| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED); Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) |
| EID |
WOS:001014469600004 |
| WoS Category |
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Studies |
| Research Area |
Science & Technology - Other Topics; Environmental Sciences & Ecology |
| PDF |
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01147-z.pdf
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