Abstract
The conversion of waste plastics to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through catalytic pyrolysis technology marks a significant advancement in environmental sustainability. This process not only mitigates environmental pollution but promotes the effective use of solid waste. However, the use of powder particle catalysts still faces a separation challenge after carbon deposition. To address this, a carbon paper-based catalyst has been introduced in this study, which possesses a milk thistle-like structure. The results shows that this catalyst facilitated the generation of easily-stripped CNTs on the surface of carbon paper. Around 9 wt% CNTs was collected from 1 g of polyethylene (PE), followed by polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that CNTs constituted over 95 % of carbon deposition. The harvested CNTs-PE exhibited a more uniform diameter of around 15 nm, which is smaller compared to that of CNTs-PP, CNTs-PS, and CNTs-PVC. Further cyclic experiments confirmed the reusability of carbon paper as a catalyst support, with the yield of CNTs remaining nearly constant over five cycles. This innovative approach paves the way for recycling plastic waste into high-valued CNTs that can be easily-stripped from the support materials with simple physical operations such as pickling.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call