Catalytic tandem dehydrochlorination-hydrogenation of PVC towards valorisation of chlorinated plastic waste.

Chemical treatment of end-of-life PVC at high temperature often results in the formation of polyacetylene and eventually aromatic char. These insoluble conjugated polymers lead to industrial reactor blockages, and limit the efficiency in recycling chlorinated plastic waste. To address this challenge, a solvent-based tandem dehydrochlorination-hydrogenation process is proposed for the conversion of PVC to a saturated polymer backbone.

From crude industrial waste glycerol to biopropene Ru-mediated hydrodeoxygenation in ionic liquids.

The catalytic conversion of crude glycerol to biopropene was investigated. A bifunctional Ru-ionic liquid system showed a high tolerance for common crude glycerol impurities like water, salts and methanol. After optimizing both dehydration and olefin selectivity, a 82% biopropene yield (94% selectivity) was obtained directly from industrial waste glycerol.