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Electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate to commodity chemicals and H2 fuel
Summary
Researchers developed an electrocatalytic process that breaks down waste PET plastic (the kind used in water bottles) into valuable chemicals and clean hydrogen fuel using a specially designed nickel-cobalt catalyst. The process achieved high efficiency at industrial-scale current densities, offering a potentially profitable way to recycle plastic waste into useful products.
Plastic wastes represent a largely untapped resource for manufacturing chemicals and fuels, particularly considering their environmental and biological threats. Here we report electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic to valuable commodity chemicals (potassium diformate and terephthalic acid) and H<sub>2</sub> fuel. Preliminary techno-economic analysis suggests the profitability of this process when the ethylene glycol (EG) component of PET is selectively electrooxidized to formate (>80% selectivity) at high current density (>100 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>). A nickel-modified cobalt phosphide (CoNi<sub>0.25</sub>P) electrocatalyst is developed to achieve a current density of 500 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> at 1.8 V in a membrane-electrode assembly reactor with >80% of Faradaic efficiency and selectivity to formate. Detailed characterizations reveal the in-situ evolution of CoNi<sub>0.25</sub>P catalyst into a low-crystalline metal oxy(hydroxide) as an active state during EG oxidation, which might be responsible for its advantageous performances. This work demonstrates a sustainable way to implement waste PET upcycling to value-added products.
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