Optimising selectivity and activity in catalytic chemical depolymerisation cascades

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Plastic pollution is a societal challenge which must urgently be met. Developing chemical depolymerisation, such as through catalyst optimisation, as an end-of-life fate for plastics can help address this crisis. This project will explore catalyst optimisation for two value-added ends-of-life. First, the circular depolymerisation of commodity polymers - optimising the speed and selectivity of the depolymerisation, especially in competition experiments with multiple plastics. Design-of-experiments principles will take inspiration from Greaney group research in organocatalysis (Lewis base, NHC, amine nucleophiles) and photoredox catalysis and apply it to the sustainable polymer expertise in the Shaver group to create optimal systems. Scale up of top-performing systems will offer input variables for life cycle assessments, another expertise of the Shaver group. Second, for systems where selectivity is not possible, or the techno-economic analysis suggests it is not ideally sustainable, the monomeric feedstocks will be explored in cascade catalytic reactions to create value-added, upcycled products.