Upcycling wastes into chemicals and materials

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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.