CAS-SC: Tuning Hydrocarbon Products from Temperature-Gradient Thermolysis of Polyolefins and the Subsequent Upcycling to Functional Chemicals

CAS-SC：调整聚烯烃温度梯度热解的碳氢化合物产品以及随后升级为功能化学品

• 批准号: 2411680
• 负责人: Guoliang Greg Liu
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-04-01 至 2028-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2411680&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAS; SC; Tuning; Hydrocarbon; Products

PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Plastic waste is a global challenge that must be addressed to achieve a sustainable future. The PI has developed a technique of “cascade degradation and upcycling” (“Deg-Up”) that represents an emerging effective means to convert plastic waste into high-value chemicals and materials. In the degradation of the two most common high-volume commercial plastics made of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), temperature-gradient thermolysis (a controlled thermal breakdown of the plastic molecules) is highly effective in converting them into platform intermediate chemicals for general uses. In the upcycling of platform intermediate chemicals, PE and PP-derived products are particularly useful for subsequent conversion to produce high-value materials such as surfactants (e.g., soaps, detergents, surface modifiers, etc.). The output of high-value surfactants from low-cost plastic waste can provide significant financial incentives to address the existing fast-accumulating plastic waste. The controlled “Deg-Up” of PE and PP, which will be the focus of this project, will offer new approaches to producing sustainable surfactants with reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions. Downstream functionalization of PE and PP-derived intermediate molecules will pave the foundation for the future development of “waste-to-value” using other plastic waste feedstocks. Highly integrated with the concept of “plastic sustainability”, the educational component of the project will train students at all levels including underrepresented local K-12 and college youth, work with neighboring Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and develop sustainable plastic waste removal programs in Appalachia. PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARY The vast amount of accumulated plastic waste requires a better ending point than landfills or oceans. Chemical upcycling is an attractive method to bring low-value plastic waste into high-value chemicals and materials. This project utilizes plastic waste as a chemical feedstock, much like “crude oil” except that it requires no drilling or mining. Two high-volume plastics, including polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), will be converted to high-value surfactants. The project will (a) provide an understanding of temperature-gradient thermolysis for producing controlled degradation intermediates and (b) develop upcycling strategies to produce value-added ionic and non-ionic surfactants. Three main research tasks of the project include: 1) employment of temperature-gradient thermolysis to degrade PE and PP, 2) functionalization of the thermolysis products with ionic end groups to form amphiphilic molecules for use as surfactants, and 3) functionalization of the thermolysis products into non-ionic molecules. The proposed research will impact the fields of polymers and surfactants and enable the upcycling of plastics into high-value chemicals. The upcycling strategy removes plastic waste, elongates the lifespan of carbon in a reduced form, decreases carbon emissions, and mitigates environmental pollution. The educational impacts include training underrepresented K-12 and first-generation college students in Appalachia. The educational components share the central theme of “polymer sustainability” and are highly integrated with research. .This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

第 1 部分：非技术摘要 塑料废物是实现可持续未来必须解决的全球性挑战。PI 开发了一种“级联降解和升级回收”（“Deg-Up”）技术，代表了一种新兴的有效手段。将塑料废物转化为高价值化学品和材料 在由聚乙烯 (PE) 和聚丙烯 (PP) 制成的两种最常见的大批量商用塑料的降解过程中，温度梯度热解（塑料的受控热分解）。在平台中间化学品的升级循环中，PE 和 PP 衍生产品特别适用于后续转化以生产表面活性剂（例如肥皂、肥皂等）等高价值材料。从低成本塑料废物中生产高价值表面活性剂可以为解决现有快速积累的塑料废物提供重要的经济激励。该项目的重点是提供生产可持续表面活性剂的新方法，减少能源消耗和碳排放，PE和PP衍生中间体分子的下游功能化将为“废物变价值”的未来发展奠定基础。该项目的教育部分将利用其他塑料废物原料与“塑料可持续性”概念高度结合，对各个级别的学生进行培训，包括当地代表性不足的 K-12 和大学青年，并与邻近的历史悠久的黑人学院和大学合作。在阿巴拉契亚制定可持续的塑料废物清除计划 第 2 部分：技术摘要 大量积累的塑料废物需要比垃圾填埋场或海洋更好的终点。该项目利用塑料废物作为化学原料，与“原油”非常相似，只是不需要钻探或开采两种高产量塑料，包括聚乙烯（PE）和聚丙烯（PP）。该项目将（a）提供对生产降解控制中间体的温度梯度热解的了解，以及（b）开发升级回收策略以生产增值离子和非离子表面活性剂。该项目包括：1）利用温度梯度热解降解PE和PP，2）用离子端基对热解产物进行功能化，形成两亲性分子用作表面活性剂，以及3）功能化拟议的研究将影响聚合物和表面活性剂领域，并将塑料升级为高价值化学品。升级回收策略消除了塑料废物，延长了碳的寿命。减少碳排放，减轻环境污染，其教育影响包括培训阿巴拉契亚地区代表性不足的 K-12 学生和第一代大学生。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。