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Sustainable Conversion of Microplastics to Methane with Ultrahigh Selectivity by a Biotic–Abiotic Hybrid Photocatalytic System
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Researchers developed a biotic-abiotic hybrid photocatalytic system combining carbon dot-functionalized carbon nitrides with methanogenic archaea that converts biodegradable microplastics into methane with near 100% selectivity, offering a sustainable approach to plastic waste remediation.
Efficient conversion of microplastics into fuels provides a promising strategy to alleviate environmental pollution and the energy crisis. However, the conventional processes are challenged by low product selectivity and potential secondary pollution. Herein, a biotic-abiotic photocatalytic system is designed by assembling Methanosarcina barkeri (M. b) and carbon dot-functionalized polymeric carbon nitrides (CDPCN), by which biodegradable microplastics-poly(lactic acid) after heat pretreatment can be converted into CH4 for five successive 24-day cycles with nearly 100 % CH4 selectivity by the assistance of additional CO2 . Mechanistic analyses showed that both photooxidation and photoreduction methanogenesis worked simultaneously via the fully utilizing photogenerated holes and electrons without chemical sacrificial quenchers. Further research validated the real-world applicability of M. b-CDPCN for non-biodegradable microplastic-to-CH4 conversion, offering a new avenue for engineering the plastic reuse.
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Sustainable Conversion of Microplastics to Methane with Ultrahigh Selectivity by a Biotic–Abiotic Hybrid Photocatalytic System
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a biotic-abiotic hybrid photocatalytic system combining Methanosarcina barkeri bacteria with carbon dot-functionalized polymeric carbon nitrides (CDPCN) to convert biodegradable poly(lactic acid) microplastics into methane with ultrahigh selectivity. The system offered a promising dual-purpose strategy for simultaneously reducing microplastic pollution and generating renewable energy with minimal secondary contamination.
Back Cover: Sustainable Conversion of Microplastics to Methane with Ultrahigh Selectivity by a Biotic–Abiotic Hybrid Photocatalytic System (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 52/2022)
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Researchers developed a hybrid system combining methane-producing microbes (methanogens) with a semiconductor to convert microplastics into methane gas under light, achieving high selectivity without chemical sacrificial agents and offering insights into the environmental carbon cycle.
Pollutants to Products: A Tailored Multicomponent Photocatalyst for Simultaneous CO 2 and Plastic Waste Conversion
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Researchers developed a photocatalyst that simultaneously converts CO2 and PET plastic waste into useful chemicals (CO, methane, ethylene glycol) using only light, with CO2 reduced at over 95% selectivity. The dual-use design eliminates the need for chemical sacrificial agents by using plastic as the electron donor for CO2 reduction. Beyond plastic recycling, the system also suggests a pathway for degrading microplastics, offering a single solar-driven process that tackles two major pollution problems at once.
Photoelectrocatalytic biosynthesis fuelled by microplastics
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Researchers developed a photoelectrochemical system that uses PET microplastics as an electron source to power redox enzyme-driven biosynthetic reactions, achieving turnover numbers up to 362,000 for useful organic chemical transformations. This approach simultaneously degrades non-recyclable plastic waste and produces value-added chemicals, demonstrating a dual-benefit strategy that could incentivize microplastic remediation by converting pollution into a productive feedstock.
Photoreforming of PET and PLA microplastics for sustainable hydrogen production using TiO2 and g-C3N4 photocatalysts
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Researchers used photoreforming—a light-driven process—to break down PET and PLA microplastics while simultaneously generating hydrogen gas, demonstrating a dual-benefit approach that addresses plastic pollution while producing clean energy from waste plastic.
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