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Synergy Effects in a Bimetallic Ru ─ Pt Alloy Catalyst for Low-H2-Pressure Hydrogenolysis of Low-Density Polyethylene
Yukari Yamazaki1, Xiongjie Jin1, Weihan Sun1
1Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan.
Abstract:
Hydrogenolysis of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) under low pressure of H2 has been accomplished with a Ru─Pt bimetallic alloy catalyst. Using Ru5Pt1/CeO2 (atomic ratio of Ru to Pt is 5:1) as a catalyst, LDPE was efficiently converted (97.6 ± 2.5% conversion) to gas and liquid hydrocarbons under 5 bar of H2 at 200 °C, whereas Ru/CeO2 and Pt/CeO2 showed much lower conversion (45.7 ± 3.7% and < 1%, respectively), under the same conditions. Mechanistic studies suggested that the higher activity of Ru5Pt1/CeO2 can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Ru (cleavage of C─C bond) and Pt (acceleration of Ru─alkyl hydrogenation step) on the catalyst surface.
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