Molecular Catalysis
·
2025
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IF 4.9
Jiaxin Song,Cheng Rao,Zeshu Zhang,Xiangguang Yang,Yibo Zhang
Photocatalytic reforming of plastics, involving converting plastics into valuable chemicals while producing hydrogen from water, is a promising green technology with sustainability potential. However, designing catalysts with optimized structures to further enhance efficiency remained a major challenge. In this study, a series of CdS Quantum dots (QDs) with different sulfur defect concentrations were synthesized by a one-step solvothermal method by adjusting the type of sulfur precursors. In the absence of co-catalysts, the optimal CdS-NS photocatalyst achieved reforming of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into formate with 870 μmol g −1 h −1 and acetate esters with 90 μmol g −1 h −1 , while the hydrogen production rate reached 1771 μmol g −1 h −1 . EPR spectra and other analyses confirmed the presence of abundant sulfur defects in the prepared CdS QDs and further demonstrated that the concentration of sulfur defects was closely related to photocatalytic performance. Suitable sulfur defects effectively modulated the electronic and band structure of CdS QDs, enhanced the oxidation capacity of photogenerated holes, reduced the recombination rate of charge carriers, and ultimately improved photocatalytic activity. This work provided an effective approach for designing efficient photocatalysts for the high-value recycling of plastic waste to achieve carbon neutrality.
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境科学
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化学工程
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DOI
高影响因子
ChemCatChem
·
2024
·
IF 3.8
Yanling Xu,Yi Ji,Yue Liu,Weihua Deng,Fei Huang,Fan Zhang
Graphical Here, we have developed an environmentally friendly and cost-effective catalyst for the alcoholysis of C−O-linked plastics. Our catalyst is made of polymeric carbon nitride nanosheets, which are free of metals. It has shown excellent performance in the methanolysis of polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polylactic acid (PLA), producing pure monomer products. Through characterization and experiments, we have determined that the amino group is the main active site of the catalyst. Improper end-of-life treatments of C−O-linked plastics have caused serious environmental crises and resource waste. One effective method to solve this issue is the catalytic alcoholysis of these plastics. Traditional homogeneous catalysts or metal-based heterogeneous catalysts for alcoholysis have some drawbacks, such as difficulty in complete separation, environmental threats, and economic burden. Thus, finding a green, low-cost, recyclable, and highly efficient catalyst substitute is critical. Here, we reported that polymeric carbon nitride nanosheets can serve as a metal-free heterogeneous catalyst for the methanolysis of polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, and polylactic acid. The catalyst exhibits remarkable performance and could be reused at least four times. NH x was found to be the predominant active site of the catalyst by characterization and experiments. These results show promise for the design of metal-free heterogeneous catalysts to depolymerize C−O-linked plastics.
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境科学
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催化化学
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DOI
高影响因子
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
·
2024
·
IF 8.1
Chaofeng Huang,Yingshuang Zhang,Hongru Jiang,Chongqing Wang,Hui Wang,Wanyuan Li,Fei Nie,He Lin
Polyester plastics, constituting a substantial segment of the global plastic market, offer considerable potential market for the polyesters recycling. This study proposed an efficient separation technology for waste polyesters through flotation assisted by alkaline-catalyzed alcoholysis modification. The alkaline-catalyzed alcoholysis modification facilitates the selective hydrophilization of waste polyesters, regulating their float-sink behavior in flotation. According to the polyester floatability, the hydrophilicity of the modified polyesters is in order of PA6 > PET ≈ PU > PC > PMMA. Due to the different C–O and C–N bond strength, the modification selectively induced alcoholysis on the polyesters surface, enhancing their hydrophilicity by increasing the number of rough structure and hydrophilic functional groups on surfaces rather than introducing heteroatoms. The sinking products in flotation, including polyamide 6 (PA6), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyurethane (PU), could be separated from the floating products, such as polycarbonate (PC), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The binary separation was achieved under optimum conditions. The recovery and purity of PA6, PET, and PU could reach 100.0 % and 100.0 %, 100.0 % and 85.7 %, 79.9 % and 83.1 %, respectively. Consequently, the heterogeneous alcoholysis reactivity contributes to the selective hydrophilization of waste polyesters. This study established a hydrophilicity order of modified polyesters, and promoted flotation separation of waste polyesters.
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境工程
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化学工程
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Materials Today Sustainability
·
2022
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IF 7.244
Q. Qian,G. Liu,D. Lang,C. Guo,L. Wang,R. Wu
The accumulation of plastic waste has become a serious environmental pollution problem. To achieve the sustainable use of energy and the conservation of resources, it is an effective solution to convert plastics into valuable chemicals. In this work, the water-soluble oligomer of unsaturated polyester resins (LMUPR) was obtained by cleavage of the ester bonds from unsaturated polyester resins. The degradation was carried out by the one-pot method in n-butanol at 80°C for 1 h with potassium hydroxide acting as a catalyst. The LMUPR can be separated by centrifugation with a yield of 98%. The LMUPR was integrated with carboxylated chitosan and N, N-Methylene-Bis-Acrylamide to form aerogels via freeze drying. The hydrophobic oleophilic aerogel (water contact angle is 131°) was prepared by surface coating of waste polyethylene solution, which can selectively adsorb a variety of oils and organic solvents in water, and showed good adsorption capacity and cycle performance. In addition, due to the retention of the properties of unsaturated polyester resins, it shows good acid and alkali resistance and compression resistance (compressive strength 310.5 kPa). This work provides new raw materials for the synthesis of aerogels and a strategy for converting waste plastics into high-value-added adsorption materials.
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境科学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
·
2023
·
IF 8.4
Sijie Li,Yuan Xue,Yixi Lin,Bing Wang,Xi Gao
Plastic recycling through thermochemical conversion for the production of fuels and chemicals is a promising way for simultaneous waste processing and utilization. In the current study, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was subjected to pyrolysis and then catalytic upgrading to produce hydrogen in the presence of a novel Fe2O3/Al2O3 catalyst with a grain boundary. To understand the catalyst–support interaction as well as the resulting synergistic catalytic effects, catalytic pyrolysis of HDPE with supported Fe2O3/Al2O3 was compared with those over Fe2O3, Al2O3, and a cascade combination of both. It was found that the performance of Fe2O3/Al2O3 was superior to that of other catalysts in terms of chain cracking and C–C/C–H bond cleavage. The hydrogen yield with Fe2O3/Al2O3 was 50.53 mmol·gplastic–1, equivalent to more than 70% of hydrogen in plastic. Besides, alkanes/alkenes ranging from C2 to C9 dominated the hydrocarbon products. The analysis of the cycle performance revealed that the reduction pathway of Fe2O3/Al2O3 was different from those of other Fe2O3-containing catalysts, which was also confirmed by temperature-programmed reduction. To investigate the essential role and reaction mechanism with Fe2O3/Al2O3, characterizations of Fe2O3/Al2O3 before and after the reaction were conducted. The grain boundary between Fe2O3 and Al2O3 enhanced the adsorption of gaseous products. More importantly, the catalyst–support interaction to form FeAl2O4 during the pyrolysis reaction, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, was responsible for effective proton adsorption and C–H bond cleavage. This study provides an insightful understanding of catalyst transformation during plastic catalytic pyrolysis for hydrogen production.
研究领域:
化学工程
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材料科学
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环境科学
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DOI
高影响因子
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
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2025
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IF 21.1
Shengjia Ma,Bingtao Dong,Yuxin Zheng,Shuai Tang,Tao Zhang,Yaping Zhao
This work elucidated the dual-substrate activation mechanism of a Fenton-like system, enabled by the upcycling of plastics into a highly efficient catalyst. A synergistic pyrolysis strategy was employed to upcycle polyethylene microplastics into nitrogen-doped carbon while simultaneously constructing Fe clusters and WS 2 co-catalyst (WS 2 /Fe-N-C). In the H 2 O 2 activation system, WS 2 /Fe-N-C achieved a remarkable rate constant of 0.949 min −1 toward bisphenol A, which was 52 times higher than that of Fe-N-C, outperforming previously reported representative co-catalyst systems and Fe-based carbon catalysts. Correlation analysis, electrochemical tests and theoretical calculations demonstrated that Fe sites primarily activated H 2 O 2 to generate •OH, while WS 2 adsorbed bisphenol A and facilitated a non-radical electron transfer pathway, enabling dual-substrate synergistic catalysis for highly efficient pollutant removal. This work provides a feasible strategy for plastic upcycling and offers innovative insights into the synergy between metal centers and cocatalysts, paving the way for the rational design of high-performance catalysts.
研究领域:
环境科学
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催化化学
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材料科学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
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2025
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IF 3.9
Ziyi Wang,Changyan Guo,Kefu Wang,Jiang Li,Jide Wang
Upgrading waste PET to prepare metal–organic frameworks (MOF) through chemical recycling provides new ideas and methods for PET recycling treatment and high value-added conversion. In this paper, Cobalt-based metal–organic frameworks (Co-MOF) were prepared from PET by one-pot solvothermal method without adding acids or bases. The prepared Co-MOF was used as a heterogeneous catalyst to catalyze the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene (EB) for the preparation of acetophenone (AP). When only tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) was used as the oxidizing agent without any additional solvents, 89% EB conversion and 94% AP selectivity were achieved, respectively. Moreover, the catalyst showed excellent stability with no significant deactivation under 5 cycles. In addition, the synthesized Co-MOF-10 also exhibits impressive conversion rates of 96% and 93% in benzyl alcohol and styrene oxidation, respectively. Compared with the Co-MOF prepared by commercial terephthalic acid (BDC), the Co-MOF-10 synthesized via the one-pot method using PET exhibits enhanced cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and superior catalytic performance. The present study establishes a foundation for the conversion of plastic PET into valuable MOF and its subsequent application in C–H bond oxidation.
研究领域:
化学工程
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环境科学
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材料科学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ACS Applied Polymer Materials
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2025
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IF 4.7
Zishuai Wang,Jing Shi,Yu Jin,Gang Xiao,Haijia Su
Metal cyanamides represent a category of inorganic functional materials with superior activity and stability. However, their potential application in plastic recycling remains unexplored. This study mainly focused on the utilization of zinc cyanamide (ZnNCN) as a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) glycolysis catalyst. The PET glycolysis process is demonstrated to be promoted by a synergistic catalysis effect. Under optimal conditions, 100% PET conversion and 92.3% bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) yield were achieved. Furthermore, successful depolymerization toward various real commercial PET wastes and excellent recycling performance proved promising application prospects. DFT study and NMR characterization have revealed that the remarkable catalytic activity stems from the synergistic effect of the Lewis acid site and hydrogen bonds between ethylene glycol (EG) and the catalyst. This work provides valuable insight into the application of metal cyanamides, paving the way for the development of effective catalysts for PET recycling.
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境科学
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化学工程
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Nature Catalysis
·
2025
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IF 44.6
Xing Chuanwang,Mao Chengliang,Wang Shenghua,Zhou Yuxuan,Wu Lei,Zhang Dake,Kang Dingxuan,Yang Di,Gong Weiting,Wei Wendong,Wang Liang,Li Chaoran,Ozin Geoffrey A.,Yang Deren,Sun Wei
The accumulation of plastic waste has become a global issue. Socially and industrially viable, sustainable technical solutions are therefore required. Here we report a solar thermal catalytic system for polyolefins upcycling using copper nanoparticles encapsulated by stacked two-dimensional silicon. In a chloroaluminate ionic liquid solvent, unlike conventional thermal techniques, the upcycling can proceed under a mild temperature (55 °C) created photothermally under 4 sun irradiation. The polyethylene can be completely transformed into distinct and separable fractions of alkanes (C 3 –C 7 ) and cyclic hydrocarbons (C 8 –C 26 ) within hours, with a total yield of 91%. Mechanistic studies show a pathway involved two β-scissions of C–C bonds and a rapid cyclization. The approach offers versatility in the upcycling of various real-world polyolefin waste and features excellent feasibility in outdoor practices. The analyses of a conceptual upcycling facility using this technology showcase its appeal in both economic and eco-friendliness.
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境科学
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化学工程
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Science Advances
·
2025
·Vol. 11
·期 22
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IF 12.5
Zehao Xiao,Hongyu Guo,Fan Lv,Zheng Lin,Zongqiang Sun,Chenglong Sun,Yingjun Tan,Qizheng Huang,Mingchuan Luo,Shaojun Guo
The escalating plastic crisis can be mitigated by upgrading waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Leveraging the geographical advantages of offshores with established chlor-alkali industries, abundant renewable energy, and extensive seawater, we here present a technically and economically viable strategy of harnessing natural seawater as a medium to transform PET plastics into high-value chemicals. We report a nickel-molybdenum catalyst incorporating frustrated Lewis pairs for the efficient breakage of C─C bond and the oxidation of ethylene glycol, which sustains a current of 6 amperes at 1.74 volts over 350 hours, with a projected revenue of approximately $304 United States dollar (USD) per ton of processed PET plastics. In a customized electrolyzer, we successfully convert 301.0 grams of waste PET into 227.1 grams of p-phthalic acid (95.5% yield), 1486.2 grams of potassium diformate (67.2% yield), and approximately 214.9 liters of green hydrogen. This study paves the way for scalable PET upcycling, contributing to a circular economy and mitigating the plastic pollution crisis.
研究领域:
环境科学
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化学工程
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材料科学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Science Bulletin
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2025
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IF 21.1
Xiangxi Lou,Penglei Yan,Qingqing Zhang,Binglei Jiao,Zhongyu Li,Panpan Xu,Muhan Cao,Jinxing Chen,Qiao Zhang
Addressing the dual challenges of solid waste pollution and resource scarcity, the upcycling of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) into catalysts for plastic recycling presents a compelling sustainable solution. We come up with an innovative dual-waste co-recycling strategy that simultaneously achieves high-value reutilization of low-cost spent lithium manganese oxide (LMO) cathodes and efficient depolymerization of diverse polyester wastes. Crucially, the lithium-deficient nature of spent LMO drives partial Mn 3+ -to-Mn 4+ conversion within Mn–O octahedral units, which not only reinforces adsorption and activation of polyester molecules, but also heightens. To be more specific, degraded LMO exhibits 17.5-fold higher activity than pristine counterparts in glycolysis. In comparison with conventional methods, techno-economic analysis confirms the strategy’s economic viability, while lifecycle assessment reveals a 98.2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 98.5% decrease in fossil resource consumption. This work establishes a sustainable pathway for upcycling both LIBs and plastic waste, offering a scalable blueprint for advancing circular economy paradigms.
研究领域:
环境科学
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材料科学
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化学工程
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可持续技术
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资源循环利用
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
·
2020
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IF 7.632
Fei Tian,Xiong-lei Wang,Yang Yang,Wenli An,Xu Zhao,Shimei Xu,Yu-Zhong Wang
Rapid growth of discarded or landfilled thermosetting plastics has caused serious environmental issues and significant waste of energy. Selective degradation of thermosetting plastics into useful chemicals under mild conditions may provide a sustainable approach to address this challenge. In this study, we developed a green and efficient method to cleave the cross-links of amine-cured epoxy resin (EP) to produce new functional chemicals. Complete degradation was achieved using 4 mol/L HNO3 incubated at 60 °C for 3 h, and it has a higher efficiency than conventional methods. The C–N bonds of EP were selectively cleaved without breaking the skeletal bonds. The swelling-induced nanopores in EP caused by microwave processing exposed the cross-links that resulted in milder degradation conditions. The porous products could be readily separated and recovered. This study demonstrates a feasible approach for the recycling of thermosetting polymers under mild conditions.
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境科学
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化学工程
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）