
via Northwestern University
Catalytic method upcycles single-use plastic into high-quality liquid products
Researchers have developed a new method for upcycling abundant, seemingly low-value plastics into high-quality liquid products, such as motor oils, lubricants, detergents and even cosmetics. The discovery also improves on current recycling methods that result in cheap, low-quality plastic products.
The catalytic method serves a one-two punch by removing plastic pollution from the environment and contributing to a circular economy.
Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory and Ames Laboratory led the multi-institutional team.
“Our team is delighted to have discovered this new technology that will help us get ahead of the mounting issue of plastic waste accumulation,” said Northwestern’s Kenneth R. Poeppelmeier, who contributed to the research. “Our findings have broad implications for developing a future in which we can continue to benefit from plastic materials, but do so in a way that is sustainable and less harmful to the environment and potentially human health.”
Poeppelmeier is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, director of Northwestern’s Center for Catalysis and Surface Science and member of Northwestern’s Program on Plastics, Ecosystems and Public Health.
Poeppelmeier co-led the work with Aaron D. Sadow, a scientist in the Division of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Ames Laboratory, and Massimiliano Delferro, group leader of Argonne National Laboratory’s catalysis program.
The study was published today (Oct. 23) in the journal ACS Central Science.
The plastic problem
Each year, 380 million tons of plastic are created worldwide. And as the plastics market continues to increase, many analysts predict production could quadruple by 2050. More than 75% of these plastic materials are discarded after one use. Many of them end up in our oceans and waterways, harming wildlife and spreading toxins.
“There are certainly things we can do as a society to reduce consumption of plastics in some cases,” Sadow said. “But there will always be instances where plastics are difficult to replace, so we really want to see what we can do to find value in the waste.”
chemist
While plastics can be melted and reprocessed, this type of recycling yields lower-value materials that are not as structurally strong as the original material. Examples include down-cycling plastic bottles into a molded park bench.
When left in the wild or in landfills, plastics do not degrade because they have very strong carbon-carbon bonds. Instead, they break up into smaller plastics, known as microplastics. Whereas some people see these strong bonds as a problem, the Northwestern, Argonne National Laboratory and Ames Laboratory team saw this as an opportunity.
“We sought to recoup the high energy that holds those bonds together by catalytically converting the polyethylene molecules into value-added commercial products,” Delferro said.
A catalytic solution
The catalyst consists of platinum nanoparticles — just two nanometers in size — deposited onto a perovskite nanocubes, which are about 50-60 nanometers in size. The team chose perovskite because it is stable under the high temperatures and pressures and an exceptionally good material for energy conversion.
To deposit nanoparticles onto the nanocubes, the team used atomic layer deposition, a technique developed at Argonne that allows precise control of nanoparticles.
Under moderate pressure and temperature, the catalyst cleaved plastic’s carbon-carbon bond to produce high-quality liquid hydrocarbons. These liquids could be used in motor oil, lubricants or waxes or further processed to make ingredients for detergents and cosmetics. This contrasts commercially available catalysts, which generated lower quality products with many short hydrocarbons, limiting the products’ usefulness.
Even better: The catalytic method produced far less waste in the process. Recycling methods that melt plastic or uses conventional catalysts generate greenhouse gases and toxic byproducts.
Learn more: Turning plastic trash into treasure
The Latest on: Single-use plastic
[google_news title=”” keyword=”single-use plastic” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Single-use plastic
- Aramark: Yosemite Hospitality Announces Significant Reduction of Single-Use Plastics in Yosemite National Parkon December 6, 2023 at 11:02 am
Yosemite's primary concessioner is leading the way in single-use plastics reduction in national parks.YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 6, 2023 / Yosemite Hospitality, a subsidiary of ...
- Taste loss for single use coffee cupson December 6, 2023 at 10:54 am
A CAMPAIGN to reduce single-use coffee cups on the Mornington Peninsula is gathering momentum, with some local cafes taking up the challenge and spreading the word. A first for Victoria, the peninsula ...
- Yosemite Hospitality Announces Significant Reduction of Single-Use Plastics in Yosemite National Parkon December 6, 2023 at 10:45 am
Yosemite's primary concessioner is leading the way in single-use plastics reduction in national parks.YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 6, 2023 / Yosemite Hospitality, a subsidiary of ...
- Let’s Talk Trash: Go old school with plastic-free holidayon December 6, 2023 at 8:33 am
Plastic is the gift that keeps giving and giving and giving. Often, long past its use, plastic lives on, albeit eventually in micro-sized pieces of itself. The holidays can be a time when it creeps ...
- EU publishes method for calculating recycled content in single-use PET bottleson December 6, 2023 at 6:01 am
Last week, the European Commission adopted a decision fleshing out provisions of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). Implementing decision (EU) 2023/2683 lays down the rules for the ...
- Single-Use Plastic Packaging Market worth US$ 47 billion by 2033: Exclusive Report by FMIon December 6, 2023 at 1:24 am
The global Single-Use Plastic Packaging Market is poised for significant growth, projected to reach a valuation of US$ 26 billion in 2023 and exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.1%.
- How effective is single-use plastic ban after a year? Delhi govt plans studyon December 2, 2023 at 7:18 pm
Delhi government is conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the single-use plastic ban after a year. The study will quantify the benefits, identify potential barriers, propose alternatives ...
- 13-states now ban single-use plastic bags; in FL it’s illegal for local goverments to ban plastic or polystyreneon November 29, 2023 at 9:30 am
Starting in January, most stores in Colorado won’t be allowed to provide single-use plastic carryout bags to customers without charging them a fee. Polystyrene containers, also known as Styrofoam, als ...
- Ross and Posacka: Canadians — and our oceans — need robust protection from plastic pollutionon November 29, 2023 at 5:05 am
Plastic litter has been killing wildlife for decades around the world, and represents a serious conservation threat to populations of albatross, turtles and seals. More than 817 species in the world’s ...
- APAC’s single-use plastic efforts remain a mixed bagon November 29, 2023 at 4:29 am
Countries within the region continue to make strides with regulation, but investment and recycling infrastructure is still needed.
via Bing News