Coking-Resistant Polyethylene Upcycling Modulated by Zeolite Micropore Diffusion

• DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c05125
• Publication Date: 2022-08-01T19:23:14Z
• Authors: Jindi Duan; Wei Chen; Chengtao Wang; Liang Wang; Zhiqiang Liu; Xianfeng Yi; Wei Fang; Hai Wang; Han Wei; Shaodan Xu; Yiwen Yang; Qiwei Yang; Zongbi Bao; Zhiguo Zhang; Qilong Ren; Hang Zhou; Xuedi Qin; Anmin Zheng; Feng-Shou Xiao
• Keywords: Fluid catalytic cracking

Although the mass production of synthetic plastics has transformed human lives, it resulted in waste accumulation on earth. Here, we report a low-temperature conversion polyethylene into olefins. By mixing feed with rationally designed ZSM-5 zeolite nanosheets at 280 °C flowing hydrogen as carrier gas, light hydrocarbons (C1-C7) were produced yield up to 74.6%, where 83.9% these products C3-C6 olefins almost undetectable coke formation. The reaction proceeds multiple steps, including melting, access surface, cracking formation intermediates diffuse micropores, and small molecules micropores. kinetically matched cascade steps external surface within micropores by boosting intermediate diffusion. This feature efficiently suppressed minimize In addition, found that participation process could hinder polycyclic species which also contributes rapid molecule coking-resistant upcycling low temperature not only overturns general viewpoint for facile catalytic over zeolites but demonstrates how polyethylene-based can be upcycled valuable chemicals. addition model polyethylene, system worked depolymerization practically used polyethylene-rich plastics, enabling an industrially economically viable path dealing plastic wastes.