The catalytic cracking of sterically challenging plastic feedstocks over high acid density Al-SBA-15 catalysts

Abstract

The catalytic cracking of polyolefinic waste materials over solid acid catalysts, such as zeolites, is a promising process for the production of useful fuels and chemicals. However, the inherent diffusional constraints of the microporous zeolites restrict the access of bulky polyolefin molecules to the active site, therefore limiting their effectiveness. To address this, a simple yet effective method of producing mesoporous Al-SBA-15 materials with a high density of Brønsted acid sites has been employed. These catalysts are shown to be very active for the catalytic cracking of low density polyethylene (LDPE), a common waste plastic. The acidic and textural properties of the catalysts were characterised by ICP-OES, XPS, XRD, N2 physisorption, propylamine-TPD, pyridine-FTIR and STEM and have been correlated with their catalytic activity. The product distribution from the catalytic cracking of LDPE has been shown to depend strongly on both the pore architecture and the Al content of the SBA-15 and thus the density and strength of Brønsted acid sites. Fine-tuning the Al content of the SBA-15 materials can direct the product distribution of the hydrocarbons. The Al-SBA-15 materials display increased cracking orientated towards aliphatic hydrocarbons compared to ZSM-5, attributed to the mesoporous nature of SBA-15, overcoming diffusional limitations.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2018.11.020
Divisions: College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > School of Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering > Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI)
Additional Information: © 2018, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Uncontrolled Keywords: Al-SBA-15,Catalytic cracking,LDPE,Mesoporous materials,Pyrolysis,Catalysis,Process Chemistry and Technology
Publication ISSN: 1873-3875
Last Modified: 25 Mar 2024 08:28
Date Deposited: 28 Nov 2018 09:26
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://linking ... 926860X18305751 (Publisher URL)
http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2019-01-25
Published Online Date: 2018-11-24
Accepted Date: 2018-11-23
Authors: Socci, Joseph
Osatiashtiani, Amin (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-1334-127X)
Kyriakou, Georgios
Bridgwater, Tony (ORCID Profile 0000-0001-7362-6205)

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