Work

Hydrogen/solvent-free plastic valorization via loosely coordinated ruthenium sites steering selective aromatization

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ), linking subnanometric structures to reaction pathway selectivity. Mechanistic analysis highlights two key effects: (1) optimized interactions between isolated Ru sites and intermediates lower dehydrogenation barriers, and (2) reduced cyclization energy barriers compared to NPs. Process optimization leads to 87% LDPE conversion with 69% aromatic selectivity, maintaining 70% efficiency across various polyolefins (including high-density PE and ultra-high-molecular-weight PE) and polystyrene. A techno-economic analysis shows the potential of AC catalysts, predicting a net present value of 1.78 million over five years, compared to an annual loss of 8.17 million for NPs. This study demonstrates the critical role of metal dispersion and acid-metal balance, forming the basis for a sustainable plastic-to-aromatics process with strong economic viability.

Source: Chemical Science

DOI: 10.1039/d5sc04662a