Webinar title: Molecular Reactions in Chemical Recycling of Polyolefin Plastic Wastes

Speaker: Yue Liu

Webinar time: Oct 14, 2024 (Monday) 10:00

Venue: Room 200, New Environmental Building

Inviter: Lu Zhan

Abstract:

The annual production of plastics has grown to exceed 400 million tons, in which more than half are polyolefin plastics including polyethylene and polypropylene. Chemical recycling of plastic waste is a sustainable route to reuse its carbon resources and reduce the carbon footprint. Having only saturated C-C and C-H bonds, the molecular structure of polyolefins has great analogy to alkanes. Therefore, its chemical depolymerization is similar to that of catalytic cracking of alkanes. This lecture will compare the catalytic reaction of petroleum alkanes with the depolymerization of polyoleins on the molecular level. Through the investigation on their similarities and differences in thermodynamics, kinetics, mass transports and removal of heteroatoms, a universe solution will be discussed. In particular, using the well-established alkylation reaction in petroleum refinery, a novel approach to efficiently convert polyolefins was developed, which transforms polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinvylchloride to liquid hydrocarbons at mild conditions (< 70 oC).

About the speaker:

Prof. Yue Liu works at School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at East China Normal University. He got his Bachelor (2008) and PhD (2013) title at Peking University, thereafter he worked in Technical University of Munich for 8 years. In 2021, he joined the East China Normal University, with the support from national junior thousand talents plan. His research focuses on the catalytic transformation of non-fossil carbon resources including biomass and organic solid wastes to fuels and chemicals, exploring new approaches to selectively activate targeted chemical bonds and to produce energy carrier molecules.