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Polyethylene hydrogenolysis by dilute RuPt alloy to achieve H2-pressure-independent low methane selectivity
Qikun Hu1,2, Shuairen Qian2, Yuqi Wang1,3
1State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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 H2 pressure, and PE can be converted to fuels and waxes/lubricant base oils with only <3.2% methane even under ambient H2 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.
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