Low-temperature plastic depolymerization
AssigneeBoard of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
InventorsJames Anthony Dorman, Kerry Dooley, Bernard Whajah
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Abstract
In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a method for depolymerizing plastics using radio frequency (RF) induction heating. The method can be conducted at low temperatures and does not require the addition of H2 or solvents. In one aspect, the method is tunable to produce commercially valuable C2-C20 compounds including, but not limited to, alkenes, cycloalkanes, cycloalkenes, hydrocarbon lubricants, and polymerizable monomers. In another aspect, the method can depolymerize both virgin plastics and recycled plastic materials. In still another aspect, catalysts useful in the disclosed method are resistant to coking and poisoning.
Claims19
A method for depolymerizing plastic, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a plastic material;
- (b) contacting the plastic material with at least one catalyst and at least one magnetic susceptor, wherein the at least one catalyst and the at least one magnetic susceptor are different from one another;
- and
- (c) induction heating the plastic material, catalyst, and magnetic susceptor using a radio frequency (RF) field;
- wherein the catalyst is doped with at least one metal or metalloid consisting of potassium, barium, lithium, sodium, rubidium, cesium, francium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, radium, scandium, yttrium, lutetium, lawrencium, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, rutherfordium, zinc, cadmium, mercury, boron, aluminum, gallium, indium, thallium, germanium, tin, lead, platinum, palladium, nickel, or any combination thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.