Advanced Chemical Recycling of Mixed Plastics Waste
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Master’s Thesis Proposal
The growing accumulation of plastic waste presents a significant environmental challenge, necessitating efficient recycling strategies beyond mechanical methods. Chemical recycling offers a promising alternative, enabling the depolymerization of plastics into valuable feedstocks for new plastics or energy applications. Interestingly, many pathways in chemical recycling mirror those used in biomass conversion, particularly pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal liquefaction. Given the synergies between these processes, integrating chemical plastic recycling with existing bioenergy infrastructure could enhance efficiency and resource utilization.
This thesis aims to:
• Conduct a literature survey on chemical recycling pathways for mixed plastic waste, drawing comparisons to biomass conversion.
• Identify the most promising process routes, including pyrolysis, gasification, solvolysis, and catalytic depolymerization. Identify viable conversion routes for mixed plastic waste to analyze their efficiency, scalability, and compatibility with bioenergy processes.
• Explore modeling approaches to analyze key process parameters and optimize reaction conditions.
• Assess potential integration strategies with bioenergy systems, such as coprocessing plastic-derived intermediates in bio-refineries or gasification units.
The ideal candidate should have a background in mechanical engineering or chemical engineering. Familiarity with reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, or process modeling is beneficial, but a willingness to learn relevant chemistry and modeling techniques is essential.
This project also offers the possibility of close collaboration with a company in Lund, providing industry insights and practical applications for the research.
For more information, please contact: Hesam Fatehi: hesameddin.fatehi@energy.lth.se
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