Catalytic Depolymerization of Polyolefins Using Two-Dimensional Zeolites

• George Lauri, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware

• Dongxia Liu, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware

Plastic waste generation has become a growing concern, with much of it being landfilled or
incinerated. Current mechanical recycling methods are only able to recycle less than 20% of
plastic waste. Plastic waste can be recycled chemically through pyrolysis and hydrocracking;
however these methods face challenges such as being highly energy intensive, and having low
selectivity. Utilizing zeolite catalysts for hydrocracking is a promising pathway for the chemical
upcycling of polyolefin waste into a wide variety of products, such as diesel and jet fuel.
However, current zeolite catalysts face limitations such as slow diffusion and high levels of
coking due to their small pores. The pillared 2D zeolite catalysts offer a significant opportunity
to address these limitations by providing larger pores (i.e, mesopores), allowing for better
polymer catalyst contact and hence reducing coke formation. Here, we report the synthesis of the
MWW framework pillared 2D zeolite and its performance in polyolefin hydrocracking. Various
characterizations highlighted successful synthesis of hierarchical structure in the 2D zeolite. The
reaction results suggested better performance of 2D zeolites compared to pristine zeolite due to
mesopore formation. This research paves the way for future research into using 2D zeolites for
polyolefin waste deconstruction.