January 2019

Journal

Recovering waste plastics using shape-selective nano-scale reactors as catalysts

By:
Zhang, Zheng; Gora marek, Kinga; Watson, Jonathan; Tian, Jinsen; Ryder, Matthew R; Tarach, Karolina; López pérez, Lidia; Martínez-Triguero, Joaquin; Melián-Cabrera, Ignacio
Journal Name:
Nature Sustainability
Page Number:
39-42
Volume:
2
Issue Number:
1
Publication Date:
January 2019
View DOI Listing:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0195-9

Abstract

Waste plastic composed of low-density polyethylene can be converted into a potential new fuel source. This research describes a new nano-scale catalyst with well-defined and uniform surface openings. This material, called Al-SBA-15, is shape-selective, so it uses only one step to generate a gasoline-type product that requires less additional processing compared to that produced by previous catalysts.