Upcycling chlorinated waste plastics

Xu, Shumao; Han, Zhen; Yuan, Kaidi; Peng, Qunjia; Zhao, Wei; Lin, Tianquan; Zhou, Tao; Huang, Fuqiang

doi:10.1038/s43586-023-00227-w

Cited by 39 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 161 publications

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“…Chlorine was also found in the waste streams (0.29–0.59 wt % Cl). Chlorine may originate from PVC, PVDC, and chlorinated additives. − PVC and PVDC films introduce chlorine atoms into the pyrolysis process, which can cause corrosion to equipment by HCl and catalytic effects and persist in the oil product as heteroatoms. Pyrolysis operators have limited cost-effective means of removing PVC/PVDC or circumventing the challenges that it poses.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pyrolysis of Real Packaging Plastic Waste Streams in a Fluidized-Bed Pilot Plant

Genuino,

van Eijk,

Kersten

et al. 2024

Energy Fuels

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Pyrolysis of different packaging plastics waste streams (DKR350) and films/foils (DKR310) was conducted at the pilot scale in a fluidized-bed reactor at 500 °C and 5 kg h–1 with the aim to investigate the impact of sorting, the variability of the feedstock, and process parameters on the yield and quality of feedstocks and product oils. Sorting involved enriching the feedstock in polyolefins content, by mostly removing PET and clogged materials. The results indicated that sorting improved the quality of oil to a limited extent, compared to unsorted streams, as further processing will still be required before due to the presence of heteroatoms (e.g., O, Cl). With the reactor and conditions used, the effect of the variable composition of this type of feedstock (e.g., depending on the location or season) is very limited, as the yield and quality of the condensable product remain similar. Both the effect of temperature and residence time is relevant and comparable, as an increase in either of these parameters favor cracking and aromatization reactions in the gas phase, leading to less condensable product and lower aliphatics/aromatics ratios in their composition.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pyrolysis of Real Packaging Plastic Waste Streams in a Fluidized-Bed Pilot Plant

Genuino,

van Eijk,

Kersten

et al. 2024

Energy Fuels

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“…In practice, efficient separation is difficult for some plastics with similar properties, such as density, refractive index, or particle size, and increases the cost. ,, As an alternative, more versatile approaches need to be developed to recycle plastic mixtures. Nowadays, rare generic and profitable methods are used to upcycle the mixtures. , Besides, currently available methods are incompatible with chlorine-contaminated feedstocks because of their complexity and toxicity. , During the catalytic conversion of chlorine-containing plastic wastes, the Cl atoms will decrease the reactivity by poisoning the active sites and reducing product selectivity by contaminating the upcycling products. , Even worse, released hydrochloric acid (HCl) can cause reactor corrosion, which poses safety risks for industrial production. Given that it is necessary to have chlorine to synthesize and construct certain high-value chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and polymers, developing strategies to make full use of the chlorine content in PVC (57% by mass theoretically) is promising. − …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…99,100 Besides, currently available methods are incompatible with chlorine-contaminated feedstocks because of their complexity and toxicity. 104,105 During the catalytic conversion of chlorine-containing plastic wastes, the Cl atoms will decrease the reactivity by poisoning the active sites and reducing product selectivity by contaminating the upcycling products. 106,107 Even worse, released hydrochloric acid (HCl) can cause reactor corrosion, which poses safety risks for industrial production.…”

Section: ■ Conclusion and Outlookmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upcycling Waste Plastics with a C–C Backbone by Heterogeneous Catalysis

Lv,

Huang,

Zhang

2024

Langmuir

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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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“…Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as the world's fourth most popular general-purpose plastic, has a tremendous output and wide-ranging applications. 1,2 However, there is currently a lack of a suitable recycling system for post-consumer PVC, leading to a large accumulation of waste. This not only causes a serious threat to the ecological environment, but also wastes carbon resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%