Catalytic Conversion of PVC Waste into Fuel Oil (TSE03-O)

废塑料处理技术在回收宝贵的化石燃料资源方面，特别是在环境保护方面，正成为越来越重要的关注焦点。这一点在聚氯乙烯等卤化塑料的情况下尤其相关，在这种情况下，氯的存在使废物比聚乙烯或聚丙烯等聚合物更难回收。美国每年生产数千万吨聚氯乙烯，几乎没有一个被回收利用。催化加氢脱卤化是一种替代的、创新的和有希望的方法，可以将废弃的卤化塑料转化为可重复使用的产品。这项研究探索了催化降解废旧聚氯乙烯的可行性，并伴随着将氯化内容物定向化学转化为可回收的氯化氢。这将产生一种不含任何氯化污染物的燃料油，可以燃烧，而不会向环境中释放有毒的氯化合物。这项提议比调查人员以前在基础氢脱卤化研究中成功的努力有了很大进步。这项研究也将是一个多学科培训计划的一部分，该计划为本科生、本科生合作社学生和研究生提供研究经验，并针对代表不足的群体。一项重大的长期社会利益也将是开发一种新的补救技术，在这种技术中，潜在的有毒废物被转化为商业上可行的产品，而不会对环境造成有害影响。

Waste plastic treatment technology is becoming an increasingly more important concern in the recovery of valuable fossil fuel resources and especially in terms of environmental protection. This is particularly relevant in the case of halogenated plastics, such as PVC, where the presence of chlorine renders the waste less amenable to recycle than is the case with such polymers as polyethylene or polypropylene. Tens of millions of tons of PVC are manufactured each year in the US and practically none of it is recycled. Catalytic hydrodehalogenation represents an alternative, innovative and promising approach whereby the waste halogenated plastics can be transformed into reusable products. This investigation explores the feasibility of a catalytic degradation of waste PVC with a concomitant targeted chemical transformation of the chlorinated content into recoverable HCl. This will generate a fuel oil free of any chlorinated contaminants, which can be combusted without the problem of releasing toxic chlorine compounds into the environment. The proposal represents a significant advance over the investigators prior successful efforts in fundamental hydrodehalogenation studies. The research will also be a part of a multidisciplinary training program that provides research experiences for undergraduates, undergraduate co-op students, and graduate students and that targets underrepresented groups. A major long-term societal benefit would also be the development of a new remediation technology in which a potentially toxic waste is transformed into commercially viable products with no detrimental effect on the environment.