Project description
Turning plastic waste into valuable resources
Plastic harms ecosystems and drives 5 % of greenhouse gas emissions. By 2050, it could release 2.6 gigatonnes of CO2 annually. Yet, only 10 % is recycled, mostly into less useful forms. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Plas2Cat project is developing advanced plasmonic nanoparticles to break down hard-to-recycle plastics such as polystyrene into valuable chemicals. Using light from the visible to the infrared, these nanoparticles – made from metals like gold, palladium and earth-abundant alternatives – will drive catalytic reactions. Plas2Cat paves the way for sustainable upcycling, transforming waste into reusable resources and breathing new life into the circular economy.
Objective
Plastic waste, once valued for its durability, now presents severe environmental and economic challenges due to its persistence and complex disposal. Contributing 5% to global greenhouse gas emissions with projections of 2.6 Gt of CO2 annually by 2050, urgent solutions are needed. Currently, only 10% of plastics are repurposed into lower-value products, highlighting the necessity for innovative cradle-to-cradle approaches. The Plas2Cat project, which will be hosted by Prof. Erwin Reisner’s lab and the NanoPhotonics Centre (NPC) at the University of Cambridge, aims to address these challenges. The Reisner lab’s expertise in solar reforming and NPC’s advanced plasmonic cavities will underpin the development of core-shell plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) with tailored properties. By utilising gold, palladium, and exploring copper, nickel, and metal oxides, the project seeks to enhance catalytic performance and sustainability. Plasmonic nanomaterials will enable the harnessing of lower-energy visible to infrared light, broadening the usable light spectrum for catalytic transformations. The project will employ these NPs to drive catalytic transformations of plastic waste. Using photoelectrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, the study will investigate interactions between NPs and plastic molecules, track intermediates and products, and elucidate plasmonic redox properties. Aiming to tackle the challenging recycling of polystyrene (PS), the project will focus on breaking C–H and C–C bonds in PS to produce valuable feedstocks like benzoic acid and styrene. Initial efforts will target smaller compounds and shorter PS chains, with plans to eventually use longer chains and real PS waste. The project will emphasize sustainability by developing plasmonic nanomaterials from earth-abundant metals and oxides like magnesium and manganese oxide. By integrating plasmonics with catalytic processes, Plas2Cat seeks to revolutionize plastic upcycling and advance the circular economy.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry transition metals
- engineering and technology materials engineering amorphous solids organic amorphous solids
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nanophotonics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.