FEATURE

Researchers develop an efficient, low-energy method for upcycling plastic

waste into valuable molecules, creating a second life for waste plastics.

GROUP MEMBERS

Danny Zeng

Yu-Hsuan Lee

Dr. Mahdi Abu-Omar

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IN THE NEWS

RESEARCH

UCSB researchers have discovered a new catalytic route to transform waste plastic to valuable products via tandem hydrogenolysis/aromatization. Compared with conventional methods that require high temperatures (between 500 and 1000°C) to break down the polymer chains into smaller hydrocarbon molecules, the newly developed method converts polyethylene under relatively mild conditions (ca. 300°C) over a platinum on alumina (Pt/Al2O3) catalyst without the need for added hydrogen or solvent. Hydrogen generated in the reaction from aromatization serves to cut the polymer chains, making the overall transformation thermodynamically accessible despite the moderate reaction temperature. As a result, long-chain alkylaromatics are formed in high yields directly from waste hydrocarbon polymers. These products are widely used in solvents, paints, lubricants, detergents, pharmaceuticals, and many other industrial and consumer products.

ABOUT

Our research group works at the interface of chemistry and chemical engineering. We create the science for providing renewable and recyclable alternatives to materials made from petro-chemicals. Polymers have provided humanity with tremendous benefits from food preservation through packaging to impressive fuel efficiency because of light weight advantage. However, a growing plastics waste problem is requiring creative chemistry to provide recyclable materials and chemical upcycling of currently in use plastics, polyolefins.

A common theme in our research group is catalyst design based onunderstanding of mechanisms on the molecular scale. Graduate students and postdocs in the group are given the freedom to tailor their own projects and are encouraged to collaborate with faculty and peers in other research groups on campus with whom we share common scientific interests.

RESEARCH GROUP

MEET THE TEAM

BAOYUAN

LIU

GRADUATE

STUDENT

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

​

Focus:

Metal catalysis (such as Ni, Ru, and Pd) and their use in non-food biomass conversion of green chemistry

CHAN
PARK

GRADUATE

STUDENT

Texas A&M

University

Focus:

Designing iridium pincer complexes for catalysis

DANNY

ZENG

GRADUATE

STUDENT

Gettysburg

College

Focus:

Converting low-value waste polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene into high-value chemicals

JOSHUA

SPEER

GRADUATE

STUDENT

Ithaca

College

Focus:

Designing bimetallic pincers complexes for catalysis

JUN HEE
JANG

GRADUATE

STUDENT

Korea

University

Focus:

Heterogeneous catalysis for alkane chemistry

SHOU

ZHAO

POST

DOC

Tianjin Polytechnic

University

Focus:

Synthesis of bio-based epoxy resins

TAYYABEH
BAKHSHI

GRADUATE

STUDENT

Birjand

University

Focus:

Synthesis of Sustainable Aprotic Polar Solvents from Biomass

JULIANNE
TRUONG

GRADUATE

STUDENT

CSU

Fullerton

Focus:

Conversion of the biomass, poplar, into useful organic products

MANXI
XIONG

GRADUATE

STUDENT

Purdue

University

Focus:

Study and application of Rhenium PNN catalyst

YU-HSUAN

LEE

GRADUATE
STUDENT

University of

Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Focus:

Polymer Upcycling

KALIN
HANSON

GRADUATE

STUDENT

Mount Holyoke

College

Focus:

Sythesis of bio-based polymers