(642b) Microwave Assisted Upcycling Ldpe with Zeolite Supported Catalysts

The widespread use of plastic has led to major environmental pollution issues. The non-degradability, lack of recyclability, and extended lifespan of plastic have made them a significant source of environmental pollution. Pyrolysis-based recovery of fuels and chemicals from plastic waste is a promising and innovative method for both waste management and energy conservation. However, conventional pyrolysis suffers from high energy input equivalent GHG emissions, poor product selectivity, and low value of the final products. This work focused on investigating microwave catalysis technology to upcycle plastic waste at low temperatures. Zeolites (ZSM-5 and Y) supported catalysts have been developed for plastic microwave catalytic upcycling to produce light olefins and aromatics. The reactions were conducted in a Sairem microwave system, which is equipped with a 2.45 GHz solid state generator and 900W maximum forward power. At 300°C reaction temperature, the conversion of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is greater than 95% over all catalysts. The High BTX (Benzene, Toluene and Xylene) selectively was obtained over Ni/ZSM-5 (23.2 wt.%) and Ru/ZSM-5 (22.9 wt.%). While the high selectivity of light olefins was observed over Ga/ZSM-5 (52 wt.%) and Fe/ZSM-5 (42.7 wt.%). The study demonstrates a promising method for upcycling plastic wastes to valuable monomers.