Upcycling of polyethylene to gasoline through a self-supplied hydrogen strategy in a layered self-pillared zeolite
[1];
[2];
[1];
[3];
[7];
[8];
more »
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)
- Beijing Normal University, Beijing (China)
- Peking University, Beijing (China); University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
- East China Normal University (ECNU), Shanghai (China)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)
- Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), Dongguan (China). China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China). Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China). Institute of Chemistry
- SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP), Beijing (China)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot (United Kingdom). Diamond Light Source, Ltd.
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China). Institute of Chemistry; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China); East China Normal University (ECNU), Shanghai (China); Institute of Eco-Chongming, Shanghai (China)
Conversion of plastic wastes to valuable carbon resources without using noble metal catalysts or external hydrogen remains a challenging task. Here we report a layered self-pillared zeolite that enables the conversion of polyethylene to gasoline with a remarkable selectivity of 99% and yields of >80% in 4 h at 240 °C. The liquid product is primarily composed of branched alkanes (selectivity of 72%), affording a high research octane number of 88.0 that is comparable to commercial gasoline (86.6). In situ inelastic neutron scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and isotope-labelling experiments reveal that the activation of polyethylene is promoted by the open framework tri-coordinated Al sites of the zeolite, followed by β-scission and isomerization on Brönsted acids sites, accompanied by hydride transfer over open framework tri-coordinated Al sites through a self-supplied hydrogen pathway to yield selectivity to branched alkanes. This study shows the potential of layered zeolite materials in enabling the upcycling of plastic wastes.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 2471533
- Journal Information:
- Nature Chemistry, Journal Name: Nature Chemistry Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 16; ISSN 1755-4330
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Low temperature upcycling of polyethylene to gasoline range chemicals: Hydrogen transfer and heat compensation to endothermic pyrolysis reaction over zeolites
Chloride and Hydride Transfer as Keys to Catalytic Upcycling of Polyethylene into Liquid Alkanes