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Catalysts
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Chemical Catalysis for Waste Plastics Recycling and Upcycling
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Chemical Catalysis for Waste Plastics Recycling and Upcycling

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 11834

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zixian Jia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
SINOPEC Dalian Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals Co., Ltd., Dalian 116045, China
Interests: plasma catalysis; hybrid material; in operando spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plastics seem to be everywhere: soil, water or biological organisms. Given their non-biodegradability, plastics are expected to persist in landfills for centuries to millennia. In addition, plastic leakage into the natural environment is a global pollution crisis, with an estimated 4.8 million to 12.7 million tons of plastic entering the Marine environment each year. Given this looming environmental disaster, we urgently need to develop a plastic circular economy, which will not only provide a means to reduce plastic pollution, but also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic manufacturing and raw material production. To address this challenge, opportunities exist for chemical recycling (tertiary recycling), which breaks down plastics into monomers that can be used to synthesize the same plastic with the properties of the original material (closed-loop recycling) or to convert it into another material (open-loop upcycling if the end product is of higher value). Catalysis is central to numerous industrial processes and will be crucial to the success of chemical recycling of waste plastics.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Chemical recycling to monomer
  • Waste into pyrolysis oil
  • Biological catalysis for plastics
  • Rational Design of catalysts
  • Advanced processes for waste plastics recycling
  • Future perspectives for plastics upcycling

Dr. Zixian Jia
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plastic recycling
  • sustainable catalysis
  • catalyst design
  • photocatalysis
  • biocatalysis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 4345 KiB  
Article
Catalytic Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis of the Main Residue of the Brewing Industry
by Fernanda Pimenta, Elmis Filho, Ângelo Diniz and Marcos A. S. Barrozo
Catalysts 2023, 13(8), 1170; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13081170 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2180
Abstract
Most agro-industrial wastes are lignocellulosic biomass. Several technologies have been developed to convert these residues to value-added products. Among these processes, pyrolysis refers to the thermal degradation of organic materials. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) is more advantageous than conventional pyrolysis because it offers time [...] Read more.
Most agro-industrial wastes are lignocellulosic biomass. Several technologies have been developed to convert these residues to value-added products. Among these processes, pyrolysis refers to the thermal degradation of organic materials. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) is more advantageous than conventional pyrolysis because it offers time savings, increases heating efficiency, and promotes a more precise process control. In this work, the microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) of brewer’s spent grain (BSG), the main waste of the brewing industry, was studied, focusing on its liquid product. The effects of temperature, moisture content, and catalyst (calcium oxide) percentage on the product distribution and hydrocarbon content in the liquid product obtained were investigated. Although a high liquid yield of 71.8% was achieved with a BSG moisture content of 14%, the quality of the product (hydrocarbon yield) in this condition was not so attractive (21.60%). An optimization study was carried out to simultaneously maximize bio-oil yield and quality. The optimum conditions obtained were a temperature of 570 °C and a catalyst/biomass ratio of 12.17%. The results of the liquid product composition at the optimum point are promising given the presence of aromatic hydrocarbons, organic compounds of great interest to the industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Catalysis for Waste Plastics Recycling and Upcycling)
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Review

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14 pages, 2904 KiB  
Review
Waste Plastic Recycling Upgrade Design Nanogenerator for Catalytic Degradation of Pollutants
by Qian Zhang, Qiyu Peng, Wenbin Li, Yanzhang Liu and Xiaoxiong Wang
Catalysts 2023, 13(6), 1019; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13061019 - 19 Jun 2023
Viewed by 2115
Abstract
In recent years, electrocatalytic degradation of pollutants based on nanogenerators has gradually emerged. Compared with the huge energy consumption of traditional electrocatalysis, this method can effectively use displacement current to induce charge transfer and complete catalysis, so it can directly use the existing [...] Read more.
In recent years, electrocatalytic degradation of pollutants based on nanogenerators has gradually emerged. Compared with the huge energy consumption of traditional electrocatalysis, this method can effectively use displacement current to induce charge transfer and complete catalysis, so it can directly use the existing water flow energy and other energy sources in nature. This work will explain the basic principles, methods, and measurement methods of preparing nanogenerators from waste plastics, as well as the classification of electrocatalytic principles and methods relative to nanogenerators, which provides important support for the research in this emerging field. At the same time, the analysis based on this knowledge will also lay the foundation for future design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Catalysis for Waste Plastics Recycling and Upcycling)
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19 pages, 3127 KiB  
Review
Photocatalytic Technologies for Transformation and Degradation of Microplastics in the Environment: Current Achievements and Future Prospects
by Anyou Xie, Meiqing Jin, Jiangwei Zhu, Qingwei Zhou, Li Fu and Weihong Wu
Catalysts 2023, 13(5), 846; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13050846 - 6 May 2023
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6818
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution has emerged as a significant environmental concern, with exposure to it linked to numerous negative consequences for both ecosystems and humans. To tackle this complex issue, innovative technologies that are capable of effectively eliminating MPs from the environment are necessary. [...] Read more.
Microplastic (MP) pollution has emerged as a significant environmental concern, with exposure to it linked to numerous negative consequences for both ecosystems and humans. To tackle this complex issue, innovative technologies that are capable of effectively eliminating MPs from the environment are necessary. In this review, we examined a variety of bare and composite photocatalysts employed in the degradation process. An in-depth assessment of the benefits and drawbacks of each catalyst was presented. Additionally, we explored the photocatalytic mechanisms and factors influencing degradation. The review concludes by addressing the current challenges and outlining future research priorities, which will help guide efforts to mitigate MP contamination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Catalysis for Waste Plastics Recycling and Upcycling)
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