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Single-use plastics are accumulating in landfills and leaking into the environment, causing harm to the ecosystem and human health. Mechanical recycling still eventually ends up in landfills.
Chemical recycling is a method in which polymers can be deconstructed and used to produce higher value chemicals or monomers for the synthesis of new plastic. The use of catalysts can help lower the energy required to break the strong carbon-carbon bonds in polyolefins and improve selectivity towards desired products.
This talk will discuss advances in the catalytic depolymerization of waste polyolefins, with a focus on recent progress in the thermal catalytic deconstruction of polyethylene and polypropylene under mild conditions.
Next, the talk will discuss emerging frameworks and technical challenges for the chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste feedstocks.
Finally, the talk will present ongoing efforts to reduce the cost and environmental impacts of polymer deconstruction and upcycling. [click for details]