Process for reuse of plastic through the conversion to carbon nanomaterials

A method of converting waste plastic to carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• mixing waste plastic and ferrocene with a solvent to form a mixture;
• injecting the mixture into a carrier gas stream and into a quartz tube comprising a first heating zone and a second heating zone;
• heating the mixture at a first temperature of between about 100° C. and about 1000° C. in the first heating zone;
• heating the mixture at a second temperature of between about 400° C. and about 1000° C. in the second heating zone to facilitate growth of carbon nanotubes;
• and
• removing the carbon nanotubes from the reaction vessel.

A method of converting waste plastic to carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• mixing carbon-containing material and a metallic catalyst precursor with toluene to form a mixture;
• injecting the mixture into a carrier gas stream and into a reaction vessel comprising a first heating zone and a second heating zone, the first heating zone and the second heating zones disposed adjacent to one another along a length of a quartz tube;
• heating the mixture at a first temperature of between about 100° C. and about 1000° C. in the first heating zone;
• heating the mixture at a second temperature of between about 400° C. and about 1000° C. in the second heating zone to facilitate growth of carbon nanotubes on the quartz tube within the second heating zone;
• and
• removing the carbon nanotubes from the reaction vessel.