Browsing by Author "Vance, Brandon C."
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Polyolefin plastic waste hydroconversion to fuels, lubricants, and waxes: a comparative study(Reaction Chemistry and Engineering, 2021-12-01) Kots, Pavel A.; Vance, Brandon C.; Vlachos, Dionisios G.Hydroconversion technologies have surged to the forefront of deconstructing plastic waste. Recent studies have been performed over several catalysts with varying conditions and plastics that make comparisons difficult. We compile and compare data from the literature by introducing various metrics and perform a simple energy analysis. We draw mechanistic similarities to and differences from the past literature on small alkane hydroconversion and leverage the former to propose standard approaches to tune product selectivity. We exemplify the plastics materials gap and the challenges it creates. Finally, we discuss the current limitations and suggest future work.Item Tuning High-Density Polyethylene Hydrocracking through Mordenite Zeolite Crystal Engineering(ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 2023-06-19) Kots, Pavel A.; Doika, Panagiota A.; Vance, Brandon C.; Najmi, Sean; Vlachos, Dionisios G.We investigate the hydrocracking of high-density polyethylene using a bifunctional Pt/Al2O3 and modified mordenite acid catalyst. Mass transport limitations impact polymer diffusion into the mordenite pore complex. Initial reaction intermediates are formed on the zeolite’s outer surface. Intercrystallite open-end mesopores improve the diffusion of reaction intermediates deeper into the crystal. Recrystallization and desilication of mordenite lead to a higher polymer conversion and shift the product distribution maximum from pentanes to hexanes and heptanes. The nature of mesopores (occluded or open) and total Brønsted acidity significantly impact zeolite activity and selectivity.