Metathesis, molecular redistribution of alkanes, and the chemical upgrading of low-density polyethylene

Kim, Doyoung; Hinton, Zachary R.; Bai, Peng; Korley, LaShanda T.J.; Epps III, Thomas H.; Lobo, Raul F.

doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.121873

Title: Metathesis, molecular redistribution of alkanes, and the chemical upgrading of low-density polyethylene

Journal Article · Thu Aug 18 00:00:00 UTC 2022 · Applied Catalysis. B, Environmental

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.121873 · OSTI ID:2421775

Kim, Doyoung ^[1]; Hinton, Zachary R. ^[2]; Bai, Peng ^[3]; Korley, LaShanda T.J. ^[2]; Epps III, Thomas H. ^[2]; Lobo, Raul F. ^[2]

Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States); OSTI
Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States); Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)

Here, a new strategy for polyethylene (PE) deconstruction via alkane metathesis is presented, in which WO_x/SiO₂ catalyzes the olefin metathesis reaction step. Zeolite 4 A is an essential component to protect the metathesis active sites from poisoning by in-situ-generated oxygenates in a batch reaction system. High conversion of 1-hexadecene (96%) and n-hexadecane (92%)—surrogates of long-chain molecules—demonstrates the high reactivity of WO_x/SiO₂ metathesis catalyst for olefin and alkane metathesis reactions, respectively, at moderate reaction temperatures of 300 °C for 2–3 h. Pretreatment temperature and length of the short n-alkane-chain solvent significantly affect the metathesis reactivity and selectivity. Results for the deconstruction of low-density PE (LDPE) in n-decane demonstrate a remarkable potential for PE upgrading with the advantages of short reaction times (3 h), the low mass ratio of solvent to LDPE, and the production of solid products with narrow molecular weight distributions.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0021166

OSTI ID:: 2421775

Journal Information:: Applied Catalysis. B, Environmental, Journal Name: Applied Catalysis. B, Environmental Journal Issue: C Vol. 318; ISSN 0926-3373

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
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