Chain-length-controllable upcycling of polyolefins to sulfate detergents

Nuwayo Eric Munyaneza, Ruiyang Ji, Adrian DiMarco, Joel Miscall, Lisa Stanley, Nicholas Rorrer, Rui Qiao () and Guoliang Liu ()
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Nuwayo Eric Munyaneza: Virginia Tech
Ruiyang Ji: Virginia Tech
Adrian DiMarco: Virginia Tech
Joel Miscall: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Lisa Stanley: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Nicholas Rorrer: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Rui Qiao: Virginia Tech
Guoliang Liu: Virginia Tech

Nature Sustainability, 2024, vol. 7, issue 12, 1681-1690

Abstract: Abstract Escalating global plastic pollution and the depletion of fossil-based resources underscore the urgent need for innovative end-of-life plastic management strategies in the context of a circular economy. Thermolysis is capable of upcycling end-of-life plastics to intermediate molecules suitable for downstream conversion to eventually high-value chemicals, but tuning the molar mass distribution of the products is challenging. Here we report a temperature-gradient thermolysis strategy for the conversion of polyethylene and polypropylene into hydrocarbons with tunable molar mass distributions. The whole thermolysis process is catalyst- and hydrogen-free. The thermolysis of polyethylene and polyethylene/polypropylene mixtures with tailored temperature gradients generated oil with an average chain length of ~C14. The oil featured a high concentration of synthetically useful α-olefins. Computational fluid dynamics simulations revealed that regulating the reactor wall temperature was the key to tuning the hydrocarbon distributions. Subsequent oxidation of the obtained α-olefins by sulfuric acid and neutralization by potassium hydroxide afforded sulfate detergents with excellent foaming behaviour and emulsifying capacity and low critical micelle concentration. Overall, this work provides a viable approach to producing value-added chemicals from end-of-life plastics, improving the circularity of the anthropogenic carbon cycle.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01464-x

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