College
College of Engineering and Polymer Science
Date of Last Revision
2025-04-26 12:10:13
Major
Chemical Engineering
Honors Course
CHEE 497-001
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2025
Abstract
Plastic waste recycling has become an important conversation in the last couple of decades with pollution on the rise. One of the few ways to recycle plastics is by breaking these long-chained polymers down via catalytic processes. Due to many plastic products being a blend, it is imperative that any chosen catalyst that could be used for recycling should be able to handle different types of polymers. This paper discusses how tungsten carbide over silica (WxC/SiO2) catalyzes the degradation of a few selected polymers and polymer blends. From this research it was determined that WxC/SiO2 is able to handle blends of polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). However, due to chemical limitations dependent on the stability of reaction intermediates, HDPE itself does not have a good reactivity comparable to PP. Additionally, physical limitations of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and the aromaticity in polystyrene (PS) greatly hinder their reactivity with the catalyst. Nevertheless, this research does provide a good baseline of how catalysts react with the selected polymers and is a steppingstone in understanding the mechanisms behind the reactions.
Research Sponsor
Linxiao Chen
First Reader
Jie Zheng
Second Reader
Bi-min Zhang Newby
Honors Faculty Advisor
Bi-min Zhang Newby
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Recommended Citation
Seeber, Kenneth Jackson, "Effects of Polyolefin Types on Catalytic Hydrocracking" (2025). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1963.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1963