CATALEPTIC · A developed thermochemical approach for catalytic depolymerization of plastics
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-08-01 → 2023-07-31
- EU contribution
- €219,312
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
A developed thermochemical approach for catalytic depolymerization of plastics
This study aims to tackle one of the most pressing environmental issues, which is the accumulation of plastic waste, through the adoption of innovative and circular technologies aimed at increasing the recycling rate of plastics. Chemical recycling techniques have emerged as an effective method to treat mixed polymer streams by producing virgin monomers from waste plastics while at the same time remaining less sensitive to fluctuations in the global oil market. This feature makes chemical recycling a more environmentally friendly alternative to linear plastic recycling. However, chemical recycling has some limitations, such as the need for mandatory feedstock separation, the difficulty of converting PET, and the energy-intensive processing of recalcitrant polyolefins, which hinder the scaling up and industrial implementation of chemical recycling. This EU-funded project aimed to assess the potential of the Hot Compressed Water (HCW) technology in handling waste plastics. Hydrothermal Processing (HTP) was utilized to convert challenging plastics into energy-dense oils or original monomeric compounds. The project targeted the efficient decomposition of polyolefin packaging waste and subsequent selectivity improvement towards naphtha/monomeric production using appropriate catalysts. However, real-world plastic waste's complex chemical and physical composition necessitates using various operating conditions and catalytic materials for optimal conversion. Moreover, innovative separation and purification methods are required to meet market quality standards, such as removing heteroatom impurities in the reaction mixture. Ultimately, the proposal aims to reduce dependence on crude oil for plastic production, enhance plastics' recycling rate, and mitigate plastic waste's environmental impact.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Plastics-waste issues such as climate change, energy depletion, and environmental pollution are long-term challenges. To meet the target 60 % plastics recycling by 2050, a disruption of the current plastics economy seems unavoidable. Mechanical recycling, as the most popular approach worldwide, is currently limited to a restricted number of high-purity Polyolefins. As a green chemistry method, plastic depolymerization exploits the unique hydrothermal properties of near-critical water for circular chemical recycling. However, in its current state, economic and technical bottlenecks stall the technology maturation.Catalytic depolymerization of plastics in hydrothermal media, CATALEPTIC, is planned to ease the depolymerization of common plastics, including addition and condensation polymers, into monomeric/Naphtha production. Professor Lasse Rosendahl and Assoc. Professor Thomas Helmer Pedersen, will supervise and guide me to achieve beyond state-of-the-art results to radically change the way plastics will be handle in the future. In close collaboration with Haldor Topsoe and Technical University of Munich, as the project secondmentw, this research plan will combine my expertise in catalysis, Reaction Engineering, and Process Chemistry with the host’s expertise in the hydrothermal valorization of wastes to equip the infrastructure existing in AAU, host organization, for continuous HTL of waste materials with both active and highly selective catalyst and a state-of-the-art purification system. This program will not only allow me to diversify my competence by acquiring new skills and competencies, particularly in terms of demonstration engineering, catalyst application, and purification systems, which will also enormously benefit my inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary expertise and strengthen my international network. CATALEPTIC will contribute to Europe’s circular economy by providing invaluable knowledge on the thermochemical recycling of plastics.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- AALBORG UNIVERSITET · AalborgCoordinatorDenmark
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union