Conversion of Waste to Catalysts and other Value-added Products

“如果废物没有呢？”这是几家公司用来挑战我们对不同工艺产生的副产品的看法的口号。即使一个过程是100%有效的，随着时间的推移，所有的产品都会变质，所以浪费仍然会产生。理想情况下，副产品和废产品可以在相同或不同的过程中重复使用（所谓的“循环经济”）。废料代表着巨大的资源，这些资源便宜、容易获得而且丰富。然而，由于废物含有许多不同的成分，这些材料通常不能直接取代现有工艺中的纯原料。过程和废料必须仔细匹配，以考虑整个系统的组成、反应和可能的相互作用。即使经过仔细匹配，废料在重新使用之前也可能需要一些处理。在我的研究小组中，我们开发了从废料中制备催化剂的新方法。催化剂是一种提高反应速率并选择性地产生所需产物的物质。在90%的工业过程中，催化剂不仅可以从数百万吨可用的废物中制备，而且还可以将这些废物转化为增值产品。这个提案描述了我对两种主要由碳制成的废物的再利用计划-重油和沥青加工产生的石油焦和回收轮胎产生的炭黑。石油焦将转化为固体酸催化剂，用于将废塑料转化为碳纤维和纳米管；硫化物催化剂可用于部分升级沥青，以增加其价值并使其更易于运输。将炭黑添加到水泥中，催化水化反应，最终提高混凝土的质量。后一种应用是我们研究碳的自然延伸。我们会继续探索碳基废物的合适用途。通过这项工作，博士后研究员、研究生和本科生将通过制备、表征和测试不同的催化剂来进行彻底的、有影响力的研究。团队合作和协作将促进沟通和促进不同的方法来解决不同的问题。这些都是行业所需的技能，以保持强大和创新的劳动力，并刺激加拿大经济。

"What if waste wasn't?" is a slogan used by several companies to challenge our view of the byproducts from different processes. Even if a process was 100% efficient, all products deteriorate over time and so waste would still be generated. Ideally the byproducts and spent products could be reused in the same or a different process (the so called "circular economy"). Waste materials represent tremendous resources that are inexpensive, accessible, and abundant. Because waste contains many different components, however, the materials generally cannot directly replace pure feedstocks in existing processes. The process and the waste material must be carefully matched to consider the compositions, reactions, and possible interactions throughout the entire system. Even after careful matching, the waste materials may require some processing before being reused. In my research group, we have developed new methods to prepare catalysts from waste materials. Catalysts are substances that increase reaction rates and selectively produce desired products. Used in 90% of all industrial processes, catalysts cannot only be prepared from the millions of tonnes of waste that are available but also convert this waste to value-added products. This proposal describes my plans to reuse two waste products that are primarily made of carbon - petroleum coke produced from heavy oil and bitumen processing, and carbon black from recycled tires. The petroleum coke will be converted to i. solid acid catalysts for the conversion of waste plastics to carbon fibres and nanotubes, and ii. sulfide catalysts that can be used to partially upgrade bitumen to increase its value and make it more easily transportable. The carbon black will be added to cement to catalyze the hydration reactions and ultimately improve the qualities of the concrete. The latter application is a natural extension of our work with carbon. We will continue to explore applications for which carbon-based waste materials are suitable. Through this work, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students will be trained to conduct thorough, impactful research by preparing, characterizing, and testing different catalysts. Teamwork and collaboration will promote communication and facilitate diverse ways of approaching different problems. These are all skills that are required by industry to maintain a strong and innovative workforce and stimulate the Canadian economy.