Electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate to commodity chemicals and H₂ fuel.

ABSTRACT: Plastic wastes represent a largely untapped resource for manufacturing chemicals and fuels, particularly considering their environmental and biological threats. Here we report electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic to valuable commodity chemicals (potassium diformate and terephthalic acid) and H₂ fuel. Preliminary techno-economic analysis suggests the profitability of this process when the ethylene glycol (EG) component of PET is selectively electrooxidized to formate (>80% selectivity) at high current density (>100 mA cm^-2). A nickel-modified cobalt phosphide (CoNi_0.25P) electrocatalyst is developed to achieve a current density of 500 mA cm^-2 at 1.8 V in a membrane-electrode assembly reactor with >80% of Faradaic

SUBMITTER: Zhou H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8371182 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature