Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Chemical recycling of plastic waste, especially polyolefins, into valuable liquid fuels is of considerable significance to address the serious issues raised by their threat on environmental and human health. Nevertheless, the construction of efficient and economically viable catalytic systems remains a significant hurdle. Herein, we developed an efficient bifunctional catalyst system comprising γ-Al2O3-supported ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru/γ-Al2O3) and β-zeolite for the conversion of polyolefins into gasoline-range hydrocarbons. A yield of C5–12 paraffins up to 73.4% can be obtained with polyethene as the reactant at 250 °C in hydrogen. The Ru sites primarily activate the initial cleavage of C–H bonds of polymer towards the formation of olefin intermediates, which subsequently go through further cracking and isomerization over the acid sites in β-zeolite. Employing in situ infrared spectroscopy and probe–molecule model reactions, our investigation reveals that the optimized proportion and spatial distribution of the dual catalytic sites are pivotal in the tandem conversion process. This optimization synergistically regulates the cracking kinetics and accelerates intermediate transfer, thereby minimizing the production of side C1–4 hydrocarbons resulting from over-cracking at the Ru sites and enhancing the yield of liquid fuels. This research contributes novel insights into catalyst design for the chemical upgrading of polyolefins into valuable chemicals, advancing the field of plastic waste recycling and sustainable chemical production.

Details

Title
Hydrocracking of Polyethylene to Gasoline-Range Hydrocarbons over a Ruthenium-Zeolite Bifunctional Catalyst System with Optimal Synergy of Metal and Acid Sites
Author
Du, Qing 1 ; Shang Xin 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Yuan Yangyang 3 ; Xiong, Su 2 ; Huang Yanqiang 2 

 State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China; [email protected] (Q.D.); [email protected] (Y.H.), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 
 State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China; [email protected] (Q.D.); [email protected] (Y.H.) 
 Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, Hangzhou 311231, China 
First page
335
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20734344
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3194533547
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.