The Institute for Integrated Catalysis at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is organizing a series of six lectures with the focus on understanding and advancing catalytic chemistry for the upcycling of plastics. This critical area has become one of the fastest-growing branches in catalytic research.
In this series, we will focus on a broad range of chemistries that will include activation of carbon-carbon, carbon-hydrogen, and carbon-heteroatoms bonds relevant to plastic deconstruction, and on the prospects for the synthesis of renewable, biodegradable plastics. The goal is to stimulate discussion among catalysis experts with different expertise and to broaden our community's understanding of scientific challenges associated with the upcycling of plastics.
We have an outstanding lineup of speakers who will outline their scientific strategy, present their research, and set their work into the broader context of this critical area. Each lecture (approximately 45 minutes) will be followed by an extended discussion (up to 30 minutes) to allow ample time for questions and to stimulate dialog among the participants. The planned timeframe for the lectures is from October 20 through November 23, 2020, with one lecture per week.
In this webinar, Hongfei Lin, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Washington State University, will discuss the catalytic solvolysis processes that convert various plastics to value-added products such as monomers or hydrocarbon fuels and lubricants. Furthermore, a sequential catalytic solvolysis process, in which an individual polymer or classes of polymers in a plastic mixture is selectively deconstructed stage-by-stage, is designed. This novel process may enable chemical upcycling of comingled plastic wastes without laborious physical sorting.
Looking ahead:
November 16: CO2-Assisted Activation and Upgrading of Light Alkanes
https://federallabs.org/events/pnnl-lecture-series-co2-assisted-activati...
November 23: Carbo-chemicals in the Circular Economy
https://federallabs.org/events/pnnl-lecture-series-carbo-chemicals-in-th...