Converting waste PET plastics into automobile fuels and antifreeze components

Zhiwen Gao, Bing Ma (), Shuang Chen, Jingqing Tian and Chen Zhao ()
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Zhiwen Gao: East China Normal University
Bing Ma: East China Normal University
Shuang Chen: East China Normal University
Jingqing Tian: East China Normal University
Chen Zhao: East China Normal University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract With the aim to solve the serious problem of white plastic pollution, we report herein a low-cost process to quantitatively convert polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into p-xylene (PX) and ethylene glycol (EG) over modified Cu/SiO2 catalyst using methanol as both solvent and hydrogen donor. Kinetic and in-situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies demonstrate that the degradation of PET into PX involves tandem PET methanolysis and dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) selective hydro-deoxygenation (HDO) steps with the in-situ produced H2 from methanol decomposition at 210 °C. The overall high activities are attributed to the high Cu+/Cu0 ratio derived from the dense and granular copper silicate precursor, as formed by the induction of proper NaCl addition during the hydrothermal synthesis. This hydrogen-free one-pot approach allows to directly produce gasoline fuels and antifreeze components from waste poly-ester plastic, providing a feasible solution to the plastic problem in islands.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31078-w

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