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Hydrothermal liquefaction of plastic marine debris from the North Pacific Garbage Patch
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This study processed mixed ocean plastic debris from the North Pacific Garbage Patch through supercritical hydrothermal liquefaction, finding that plastic load and temperature are the most critical parameters influencing oil yield, with maximum hydrocarbon yields reaching 90 wt%. The work demonstrates a tailored approach for chemical recycling of complex, contaminated plastic mixtures into synthetic crude oil.
Ocean plastic waste poses a growing environmental threat, efforts are now underway to help clean the ocean surface or to prevent plastic streams entering. Repurposing these highly mixed polymers presents a great challenge due to their inherent complexity, intertanglement, and the presence of contaminants. Herein, we process real samples of ocean-floating plastics from the North Pacific Garage Patch through supercritical hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), targeting their chemical recycling into synthetic crude oil. Investigating key process parameters (temperature, pressure, time, and plastic load), we found that plastic load and temperature are crucial parameters influencing oil yield and that moderate conditions maximized hydrocarbon yield, reaching 90 wt%. Overall, longer residence times and higher temperatures favored aromatic-rich oils. We suggest a reaction pathway to account for hydrogen release from aromatization reactions, influencing paraffin, olefin, and aromatic contents. Supercritical HTL offers an effective, tailored approach for recycling complex plastic mixtures to produce synthetic crude oil.
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Advances in chemical recycling of polyolefins by hydrothermal liquefaction in supercritical water: A comprehensive review
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This review summarizes recent advances in hydrothermal processing—using hot pressurized water—as a method for chemically recycling polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene. Hydrothermal conditions can break down these otherwise difficult-to-recycle plastics into valuable fuel or chemical feedstocks without the need for organic solvents. The authors assess current limitations and highlight the technology's potential for scaling up polyolefin circular economy solutions.
Hydrothermal liquefaction of plastics: a survey of the effect of reaction conditions on the reaction efficiency
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This review summarizes how hydrothermal liquefaction, a process that uses hot pressurized water, can be used to chemically recycle waste plastics. Researchers examined how different reaction conditions affect the efficiency of breaking down plastics into useful products. The study suggests that this technique holds promise as a practical approach to addressing the global plastic waste crisis.
Mitigating Post-Recycling Plastic Waste Pollution Through Co-Hydrothermal Liquefaction with Freshwater Algal Biomass: Pathways to Biofuel and High-Value Products as Resource Recovery: Chi River, Thailand
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Researchers co-processed post-recycling plastic waste with freshwater algal biomass via hydrothermal liquefaction at 350°C, finding that plastics act as hydrogen donors to improve biocrude yield and quality, with PET co-processing achieving 71.5% yield and Nylon-6 blends recovering valuable caprolactam monomers from the aqueous fraction.
The fate of microplastics when making sludge into crude oil – the impact of a hydrothermal liquefaction process on microplastics in wastewater treatment plant sludge.
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Researchers investigated what happens to microplastics in wastewater sludge when the sludge is converted to bio-crude oil using hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). They found that HTL processing transformed most microplastics into organic compounds incorporated into the crude oil product, effectively mineralizing them rather than leaving them as persistent particles. The study suggests HTL could serve a dual purpose of both producing biofuel and destroying sludge-bound microplastics.
Co-liquefaction of Macroalgae with Common Marine Plastic Pollutants
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This study evaluated the effects of common marine plastic pollutants on the hydrothermal liquefaction of four UK macroalgae species, finding modest synergistic improvements in biocrude quality when polyethylene or polypropylene was co-processed. Nylon-6 from fisheries debris depolymerized readily into caprolactam, suggesting potential for chemical recovery from marine plastic waste in future biorefineries.
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