A developed thermochemical approach for catalytic depolymerization of plastics
Plastics-waste issues such as climate change, energy depletion, and environmental pollution are long-term challenges. To meet the target 60 % plastics recycling by 2050, a disruption of the current plastics economy seems unavoidable. Mechanical recycling, as the most popular approach worldwide, is currently limited to a restricted number of high-purity Polyolefins. As a green chemistry method, plastic depolymerization exploits the unique hydrothermal properties of near-critical water for circular chemical recycling. However, in its current state, economic and technical bottlenecks stall the technology maturation.
Catalytic depolymerization of plastics in hydrothermal media, CATALEPTIC, is planned to ease the depolymerization of common plastics, including addition and condensation polymers, into monomeric/Naphtha production. Professor Lasse Rosendahl and Assoc. Professor Thomas Helmer Pedersen, will supervise and guide me to achieve beyond state-of-the-art results to radically change the way plastics will be handle in the future. In close collaboration with Haldor Topsoe and Technical University of Munich, as the project secondmentw, this research plan will combine my expertise in catalysis, Reaction Engineering, and Process Chemistry with the host’s expertise in the hydrothermal valorization of wastes to equip the infrastructure existing in AAU, host organization, for continuous HTL of waste materials with both active and highly selective catalyst and a state-of-the-art purification system. This program will not only allow me to diversify my competence by acquiring new skills and competencies, particularly in terms of demonstration engineering, catalyst application, and purification systems, which will also enormously benefit my inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary expertise and strengthen my international network. CATALEPTIC will contribute to Europe’s circular economy by providing invaluable knowledge on the thermochemical recycling of plastics.