Upcycling wastes into chemicals and materials

废物作为一种宝贵的资源，可以转化为各种有用的产品是我的发现研究计划的中心主题。本建议侧重于有机和塑料废物的转化，并了解影响这种转化的方法，以实现新技术用于有用的产品开发。传统的废物管理系统导致宝贵资源的枯竭、填埋场地的枯竭、温室气体的产生以及有毒物质向环境中的扩散。拟议的研究计划推进了目前用于废物管理的方法，并开发了高价值化学品和材料的创新途径。因此，该提案将通过模仿自然来探索“闭环方法”的概念。这种设想的先进闭环转换方法的一个独特方面是，通过利用一个过程的输出作为另一个过程的输入，目标是从废物转换的每个副产物中回收价值，从而实现零浪费解决方案。这项发现研究计划的长期目标是开发各种各样的生物可再生产品，包括生物碳（潜在的煤炭替代品）、生物油（潜在的石油替代品）和合成气（任何燃料和有价值的化学品的主要组成部分）。为了实现这一目标，拟议的研究整合了三个热化学过程(a)水热法处理碳氢化合物和可调生物复合材料(b)化学环气化富h2合成气，并在过程中使用碳氢化合物捕获二氧化碳；(c)塑料和生物废物流的催化热解用于石油化工产品。例如，通过可调的水热过程从有机废物中产生的具有所需形态特性的碳氢化合物可以与天然纤维一起纳入生物复合材料中，从而相应减少石油基碳。预计拟议的计划将产生新的和变革性的技术，这些技术将推动工业吸收，并从剩余资源和废物中获得更多产品。垃圾不再是负担，而是一种可再生资源。因此，这项研究将促进向循环经济的过渡，有助于创造新的就业机会，并促进加拿大经济的多样化。该提案的核心是为14名不同级别的学生提供培训。他们将通过设计一个可调整的配方工具箱来获得加拿大知识经济所需的技能，该工具箱可用于最大限度地提高碳效率、产品产量和废物转化过程中的催化剂寿命，从而改进当前最先进的增值方法。综合起来，这些解决方案代表了特定废物作为可行的、具有商业意义的可持续原料的前景的转折点。学生的沟通技巧将通过传播他们的发现而得到磨练。

Waste as a valuable resource that can be converted into a variety of useful products is the central theme of my discovery research program. This proposal focuses on organic and plastic waste conversion, and understanding the ways to influence such conversion with the goal of enabling new technologies for useful product development. The traditional waste management system contributes to the depletion of valuable resources, the exhaustion of land filling sites, the generation of greenhouse gases, and the dispersion of toxic materials into the environment. The proposed research program advances current approaches used for wastes management and develops innovative pathways for high-value chemicals and materials. Hence, this proposal will explore the concept of a "closed-loop approach" by mimicking nature. A unique aspect of this envisioned advanced closed-loop conversion approach is to target the recovery of value from every co-product of waste conversion by utilizing the outputs of one process as the input to another, leading to zero-waste solutions. The long-term goal of this discovery research proposal is to develop a wide variety of bio-renewable products, including bio-carbon (potential substitute for coal), bio-oil (potential substitute for petroleum), and syngas (the main building block of any fuel and valuable chemicals). To achieve this goal, the proposed research integrates three thermochemical processes (a) Hydrothermal processing for hydrochar and tunable bio-composite (b) Chemical looping gasification for H2-rich syngas with in-process CO2 capture using hydrochar; and (c) Catalytic pyrolysis of plastic and bio-waste streams for petro-chemical products. For example, the hydrochar produced from organic wastes through a tunable hydrothermal process with desired morphological properties can be incorporated, along with natural fibers, into bio-composites with corresponding reductions in petroleum-based carbon. It is expected that the proposed program will generate new and transformative technologies that will drive industrial-uptake and lead to more products derived from residual resources and wastes. Rather than being a liability, waste will become a renewable resource. Thus, this research will facilitate the transition to a circular economy, help in new job creation, and the diversification of Canada's economy. This proposal, at its core, is designed to provide training for 14 students at different levels. They will gain the requisite skills for Canada's knowledge-based economy by devising a tunable recipe toolbox that can be used to maximize carbon efficiency, product yields, and catalyst longevity during waste conversion, thereby improving current state-of-the-art valorization methods. When taken together, these solutions represent a tipping point in the prospects for specific waste as a viable, commercially relevant sustainable feedstock. The students' communication skills will be honed by disseminating their findings.