Tandem microplastic degradation and hydrogen production by hierarchical carbon nitride-supported single-atom iron catalysts

Jingkai Lin, Kunsheng Hu, Yantao Wang, Wenjie Tian (), Tony Hall, Xiaoguang Duan, Hongqi Sun, Huayang Zhang (), Emiliano Cortés and Shaobin Wang ()
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Jingkai Lin: The University of Adelaide, North Terrace
Kunsheng Hu: The University of Adelaide, North Terrace
Yantao Wang: The University of Adelaide, North Terrace
Wenjie Tian: The University of Adelaide, North Terrace
Tony Hall: The University of Adelaide
Xiaoguang Duan: The University of Adelaide, North Terrace
Hongqi Sun: The University of Western Australia
Huayang Zhang: The University of Adelaide, North Terrace
Emiliano Cortés: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Shaobin Wang: The University of Adelaide, North Terrace

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Microplastic pollution, an emerging environmental issue, poses significant threats to aquatic ecosystems and human health. In tackling microplastic pollution and advancing green hydrogen production, this study reveals a tandem catalytic microplastic degradation-hydrogen evolution reaction (MPD-HER) process using hierarchical porous carbon nitride-supported single-atom iron catalysts (FeSA-hCN). Through hydrothermal-assisted Fenton-like reactions, we accomplish near-total ultrahigh-molecular-weight-polyethylene degradation into C3-C20 organics with 64% selectivity of carboxylic acid under neutral pH, a leap beyond current capabilities in efficiency, selectivity, eco-friendliness, and stability over six cycles. The system demonstrates versatility by degrading various daily-use plastics across different aquatic settings. The mixture of FeSA-hCN and plastic degradation products further achieves a hydrogen evolution of 42 μmol h‒1 under illumination, outperforming most existing plastic photoreforming methods. This tandem MPD-HER process not only provides a scalable and economically feasible strategy to combat plastic pollution but also contributes to the hydrogen economy, with far-reaching implications for global sustainability initiatives.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53055-1

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