Polyethylene hydrogenolysis by dilute RuPt alloy to achieve H<sub>2</sub>-pressure-independent low methane selectivity.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39632866.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-54786-x and PMC identifier 11618510.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Chemical recycling of plastic waste could reduce its environmental impact and create a more sustainable society. Hydrogenolysis is a viable method for polyolefin valorization but typically requires high hydrogen pressures to minimize methane production. Here, we circumvent this stringent requirement using dilute RuPt alloy to suppress the undesired terminal C-C scission under hydrogen-lean conditions. Spectroscopic studies reveal that PE adsorption takes place on both Ru and Pt sites, yet the C-C bond cleavage proceeds faster on Ru site, which helps avoid successive terminal scission of the in situ-generated reactive intermediates due to the lack of a neighboring Ru site. Different from previous research, this method of suppressing methane generation is independent of H<sub>2</sub> pressure, and PE can be converted to fuels and waxes/lubricant base oils with only <3.2% methane even under ambient H<sub>2</sub> pressure. This advantage would allow the integration of distributed, low-pressure hydrogen sources into the upstream of PE hydrogenolysis and provide a feasible solution to decentralized plastic upcycling.