Grave-to-cradle dry reforming of plastics via Joule heating

Abstract

Both plastics and CO2 are waste carbon resources, and their accumulation in nature has led to severe environmental pollution. However, simultaneously converting plastic waste and CO2 into value-added chemicals remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate a catalytic reforming process that converts plastics and CO2 into syngas over an electrified FeCrAl heating wire. The temperature of the electrified heating wire can quickly exceed 800 °C, facilitating the decomposition of polyethylene into gaseous hydrocarbons. The high-temperature heating wire promote the CO2 deoxygenation, resulting in the generation of CO, as well as the dehydrogenation of gaseous hydrocarbons. Significantly, the additional O species from CO2 and the carbon species from hydrocarbons can react to form CO, maintaining the high catalytic activity of the electrified heating wire. This novel approach is of paramount to achieving a circular economy in addressing the ongoing environmental crisis caused by the accumulation of plastic waste and excessive CO2 emissions.