Rice chemist James Tour and co-lead authors Rice alumnus Wala Algozeeb, college student Paul Savas and postdoctoral researcher Zhe Yuan reported in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano that heating plastic waste in the presence of potassium acetate produced particles with nanometer-scale pores that trap carbon dioxide molecules.
These particles can be used to remove CO2 from flue gas streams, they reported.
Rice University graduate student Paul Savas feeds raw plastic into a crusher to prepare it for pyrolysis, or heating in an inert atmosphere. Pyrolyzing the product in the existence of potassium salts turns it into a product that sequesters co2 from flue gas. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
” Point sources of CO2 emissions like power plant exhaust stacks can be fitted with this waste-plastic-derived material to get rid of huge amounts of CO2 that would typically fill the atmosphere,” Tour stated. “It is a great way to have one problem, plastic waste, address another issue, CO2 emissions.”
A present procedure to pyrolyze plastic called chemical recycling produces oils, waxes and gases, however the carbon byproduct is almost useless, he said. Pyrolyzing plastic in the presence of potassium acetate produces permeable particles able to hold up to 18% of their own weight in CO2 at room temperature.
Pores in this micron-scale particle, the result of pyrolyzing in the existence of potassium acetate, have the ability to sequester carbon dioxide from streams of flue gas. Rice University scientists say the procedure could be a win-win for a set of pressing ecological problems. Credit: Tour Group/Rice University
In addition, while normal chemical recycling does not work for polymer wastes with low set carbon material in order to generate CO2 sorbent, consisting of polypropylene and high- and low-density polyethylene, the primary constituents in community waste, those plastics work specifically well for catching CO2 when treated with potassium acetate.
The laboratory estimates the expense of co2 capture from a point source like post-combustion flue gas would be $21 a lot, far less expensive than the energy-intensive, amine-based procedure in common usage to pull co2 from gas feeds, which costs $80-$ 160 a heap.
A Rice University chemist prepares to heat plastic powder integrated with potassium acetate to turn it into porous particles that soak up carbon dioxide. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Like amine-based products, the sorbent can be reused. Heating it to about 75 degrees Celsius (167 degrees Fahrenheit) launches trapped carbon dioxide from the pores, restoring about 90% of the materials binding websites.
Polyvinyl chloride vessels are adequate to replace the costly metal vessels that are normally needed due to the fact that it cycles at 75 degrees Celsius. The researchers noted the sorbent is anticipated to have a longer life time than liquid amines, cutting downtime due to corrosion and sludge development.
Rice University chemists customize waste plastic to soak up co2 from flue gas streams more effectively than current procedures. From left: Paul Savas, James Tour and Zhe Yuan. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
To make the material, waste plastic is become powder, combined with potassium acetate and heated up at 600 C (1,112 F) for 45 minutes to enhance the pores, the majority of which have to do with 0.7 nanometers broad. Higher temperatures resulted in broader pores. The procedure also produces a wax byproduct that can be recycled into lubes or detergents, the researchers stated.
Recommendation: “Plastic Waste Product Captures Carbon Dioxide in Nanometer Pores” by Wala A. Algozeeb, Paul E. Savas, Zhe Yuan, Zhe Wang, Carter Kittrell, Jacklyn N. Hall, Weiyin Chen, Praveen Bollini and James M. Tour, 5 April 2022, ACS Nano.DOI: 10.1021/ acsnano.2 c00955.
Co-authors of the paper are Rice alumnus Zhe Wang and research study researcher Carter Kittrell, and graduate trainee Jacklyn Hall and Praveen Bollini, an assistant teacher of chemical and biomolecular engineering, both of the University of Houston. Trip is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry along with a teacher of products science and nanoengineering.
The Department of Energy (DE-F0031794) and Saudi Aramco supported the research.
A plastic jug is fodder for a product developed at Rice University that turns waste plastic into a material that takes in carbon dioxide. The lab is targeting flue gases that now need an even more intricate process to sequester co2. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Rice University laboratory turns hard-to-process garbage into carbon-capture master.
Heres another thing to do with that mountain of used plastic: make it absorb excess carbon dioxide.
What appears like a win-win for a pair of pushing ecological issues explains a Rice University labs freshly discovered chemical method to turn waste plastic into an effective co2 (CO2) sorbent for market.
A plastic container is fodder for a material developed at Rice University that turns waste plastic into a material that soaks up carbon dioxide. The laboratory is targeting flue gases that now require a far more intricate process to sequester carbon dioxide. Pyrolyzing the product in the presence of potassium salts turns it into a material that sequesters carbon dioxide from flue gas. Pores in this micron-scale particle, the result of pyrolyzing in the presence of potassium acetate, are able to sequester carbon dioxide from streams of flue gas. Rice University chemists modify waste plastic to soak up carbon dioxide from flue gas streams more effectively than existing procedures.