(642c) Hydroformylation of Plastic Pyrolysis Oils: A New Route to Produce Chemicals from Plastic Waste
AIChE Annual Meeting
2023
2023 AIChE Annual Meeting
Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division
Catalytic Upcycling of Waste Plastics III: Non-conventional techniques
Monday, November 6, 2023 - 4:06pm to 4:24pm
In this work, we demonstrate the conversion of post-consumer plastic wastes into high value chemicals using pyrolysis and hydroformylation. Hydroformylation of plastic pyrolysis oils produces aldehydes. These aldehydes can then be reduced to mono- and di-alcohols using heterogeneous catalysts. The feedstocks and the upgraded oils were characterized by the combination of two-dimensional (2D) Gas Chromatograph (GC×GC), one-dimensional (1D)/2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), as well as the Elemental CHNOS analysis. This route produces high-value ($1,500-5,000/ton) oxygenated chemicals from low-value post-consumer recycled polyethylene ($100/ton). The chemicals produced have 60% lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to their production via petroleum feedstocks.