High quality methylal from non-recyclable plastic waste by an improved Catalytic Hydro-Gasification Plasma(CHGP) processThe effect of thermal and non-thermal routes on treatment of the Mg?Al layered double hydroxide catalyst dispersed by titania nanoparticles in products distribution arising from poly(ethylene terephthalate) degradation
The development of sustainable catalysts in the chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can help to improve the circular economy of this material. In this study, the degradation of PET to the bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) monomer and other main products was investigated by Mg?Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) dispersed by 20?wt% of titania nanoparticles (NPs). The PET conversion and BHET yield of LDHs treated by thermal and non-thermal treatment routes were compared to assess the thermostability and catalytic activity of LDHs. The LDHs loaded by titania NPs showed higher thermal stability than the unloaded LDHs. A synergistic effect between the brucite sheets and titania was found by using a combination of freeze-drying (FD) and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma routes, associated with the high dispersion of titania with size ranges of 5?10?nm. The PET conversion and the BHET yield of LDH-FD-DBD were higher than the catalysts annealed by calcination. The high stability of the LDH-FD-DBD allowed it to be reused five times without notable catalytic activity reduction. The proposed technique was an effective approach to manipulate the properties of LDH dispersed by titania NPs that enabled the catalyst to display high activity towards PET degradation.
» Author: Alireza Bahramian
» Publication Date: 01/09/2020
