Methods for cracking polyolefins using unsupported acidic polyoxometalates

Abstract

Methods for cracking a polyolefin are provided which comprise heating a blend comprising a polyolefin and an unsupported acidic polyoxometalate in a reaction zone of a reactor chamber, the reaction zone at a reaction temperature, while flowing a gas through the blend, to induce carbon-carbon bond cleavage in the polyolefin and form a processed blend comprising cracked hydrocarbons; passing at least a portion of the processed blend to a reflux zone of the reactor chamber, the reflux zone at a reflux temperature; and collecting the cracked hydrocarbons.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.