Project description
Plastic recycling rolls towards depolymerisation
Plastic recycling is essential for the transition to a circular economy and reducing the millions of tonnes of plastic debris that find their way into the ocean each year. While mechanical recycling is the most popular method, it is limited to a restricted number of high-purity polyolefins. On the other hand, plastic depolymerisation is a green chemistry method that exploits the hydrothermal properties of near-critical water for circular chemical recycling. However, economic and technical obstacles are obstructing technology maturation. The EU-funded CATALEPTIC project will facilitate the depolymerisation of common plastics into monomeric/naphtha production. The project will use catalytic depolymerisation lines to process the waste of plastics in hydrothermal media. CATALEPTIC will contribute to Europe’s circular economy and increase knowledge about thermochemical plastic recycling.
Objective
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.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- natural scienceschemical sciencescatalysis
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
9220 Aalborg
Denmark