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Heterogeneous Catalysis for Sustainable Conversion of Biomass, Carbon Dioxide and...
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Heterogeneous Catalysis for Sustainable Conversion of Biomass, Carbon Dioxide and Plastic Waste into Fuels and Chemicals

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2024 | Viewed by 3607

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ines Graca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, Scotland, UK
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; zeolites; porous materials; carbon dioxide utilisation; biomass valorisation; waste plastic upcycling; energy transition
Dr. Auguste Fernandes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Química Estrutural and Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, P-1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: solid acid catalysts; zeolites synthesis; hierarchical porous materials; hydrocarbons transformation; biomass conversion; advanced spectroscopic methods
Dr. Alan J. McCue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; supported metal catalysts; metal sulfides and phosphides; hydrogenation; carbon dioxide utilization; biomass valorisation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This is a Special Issue on the recent advances in the development and application of heterogenous catalysts for the sustainable conversion of biomass, carbon dioxide and plastic wastes into chemicals and fuels under reaction conditions. We are interested in both experimental and theoretical/computational investigations on this topic, at both the fundamental and more applied levels (i.e., under more realistic conditions; pilot-scale investigations). We are anticipating studies involving the detailed characterisation of catalysts, the establishment of structure–activity correlations, the investigation of reaction networks and the development of kinetic studies and kinetic models. Studies are not limited to the use of one single type of waste feedstock. We also welcome work exploring the potential synergisms between different types of wastes. Additionally, we are not only willing to receive contributions on the use of the heterogeneous catalysts under conventional thermal catalysis conditions, but also under more sustainable and innovative sources of energy, such as plasma, microwave, ultrasounds, electrochemistry, etc.

Dr. Ines Graca
Dr. Auguste Fernandes
Dr. Alan J. McCue
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heterogeneous catalysts
  • biomass
  • carbon dioxide
  • waste plastics
  • characterisation
  • structure–activity correlations
  • reaction networks
  • kinetic studies and models
  • conventional thermal catalysis
  • sustainable energy sources

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 5934 KiB  
Article
Biodiesel Production over Banana Peel Biochar as a Sustainable Catalyst
by Ana Paula Soares Dias, Igor Pedra, Érica Salvador, Bruna Rijo, Manuel Francisco Costa Pereira, Fátima Serralha and Isabel Nogueira
Catalysts 2024, 14(4), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14040266 - 16 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1631
Abstract
Biodiesel from waste frying oil was produced via methanolysis using biochar-based catalysts prepared by carbonizing banana peels (350 °C and 400 °C) mixed with 20% (wt.) of alkali carbonates (Na, Li, or K). The catalysts exhibited a bi-functional character: acidic and basic. Raman [...] Read more.
Biodiesel from waste frying oil was produced via methanolysis using biochar-based catalysts prepared by carbonizing banana peels (350 °C and 400 °C) mixed with 20% (wt.) of alkali carbonates (Na, Li, or K). The catalysts exhibited a bi-functional character: acidic and basic. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the alkali’s role in char graphitization, influencing morphology and oxygen content. Oxygenated surface sites acted as acidic sites for free fatty acid esterification, while alkali sites facilitated triglyceride transesterification. The best catalyst obtained by carbonization at 350 °C, without alkali modifier, led to 97.5% FAME by processing a waste frying oil with 1.2 mg KOH/g oil acidity. Most of the studied catalysts yielded high-quality glycerin, allowing the significance of homogenous catalyzed processes to be discarded. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalysis for Sustainable Conversion of Biomass, Carbon Dioxide and Plastic Waste into Fuels and Chemicals)
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14 pages, 1201 KiB  
Article
Hydrocracking of a HDPE/VGO Blend: Influence of Catalyst-to-Feed Ratio on Fuel Yield and Composition
by Francisco J. Vela, Roberto Palos, Javier Bilbao, José M. Arandes and Alazne Gutiérrez
Catalysts 2024, 14(3), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14030203 - 19 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1072
Abstract
The effects that the catalyst-to-feed ratio have on the yields of products and composition of the naphtha and light cycle oil (LCO) fractions in the hydrocracking of a blend composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and vacuum gasoil (VGO) using a PtPd/HY catalyst were [...] Read more.
The effects that the catalyst-to-feed ratio have on the yields of products and composition of the naphtha and light cycle oil (LCO) fractions in the hydrocracking of a blend composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and vacuum gasoil (VGO) using a PtPd/HY catalyst were assessed. The hydrocracking runs were carried out in a batch reactor fixing the following operation conditions: 420 °C, 80 bar, 120 min and an HDPE-to-VGO ratio of 0.2 gHDPE gVGO−1, varying the catalyst-to-feed mass ratio within the 0.05–0.1 gcatalyst gfeed−1 range. The obtained results exposed that a catalyst-to-feed mass ratio of 0.075 gcatalyst gfeed−1 provided the best results, since the conversion of the heavy cycle oil (HCO) fraction and of the HDPE offered quite high values (73.1 and 63.9%, respectively) without causing an excessive overcracking in the form of gas products (the yield of gases was of 25%). Moreover, an interesting yield of naphtha (37.0 wt%) with an RON within the commercial standards (92.5) was obtained. With regard to coke formation, not-so-developed structures were formed for a catalyst-to-feed mass ratio of 0.075 gcatalyst gfeed−1, easing their combustion and presumably extending the lifespan of the catalyst. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalysis for Sustainable Conversion of Biomass, Carbon Dioxide and Plastic Waste into Fuels and Chemicals)
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Review

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48 pages, 11437 KiB  
Review
Advancing Plastic Recycling: A Review on the Synthesis and Applications of Hierarchical Zeolites in Waste Plastic Hydrocracking
by Muhammad Usman Azam, Waheed Afzal and Inês Graça
Catalysts 2024, 14(7), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14070450 - 12 Jul 2024
Viewed by 476
Abstract
The extensive use of plastics has led to a significant environmental threat due to the generation of waste plastic, which has shown significant challenges during recycling. The catalytic hydrocracking route, however, is viewed as a key strategy to manage this fossil-fuel-derived waste into [...] Read more.
The extensive use of plastics has led to a significant environmental threat due to the generation of waste plastic, which has shown significant challenges during recycling. The catalytic hydrocracking route, however, is viewed as a key strategy to manage this fossil-fuel-derived waste into plastic-derived fuels with lower carbon emissions. Despite numerous efforts to identify an effective bi-functional catalyst, especially metal-loaded zeolites, the high-performing zeolite for hydrocracking plastics has yet to be synthesized. This is due to the microporous nature of zeolite, which results in the diffusional limitations of bulkier polymer molecules entering the structure and reducing the overall cracking of plastic and catalyst cycle time. These constraints can be overcome by developing hierarchical zeolites that feature shorter diffusion paths and larger pore sizes, facilitating the movement of bulky polymer molecules. However, if the hierarchical modification process of zeolites is not controlled, it can lead to the synthesis of hierarchical zeolites with compromised functionality or structural integrity, resulting in reduced conversion for the hydrocracking of plastics. Therefore, we provide an overview of various methods for synthesizing hierarchical zeolites, emphasizing significant advancements over the past two decades in developing innovative strategies to introduce additional pore systems. However, the objective of this review is to study the various synthesis approaches based on their effectiveness while developing a clear link between the optimized preparation methods and the structure-activity relationship of the resulting hierarchical zeolites used for the hydrocracking of plastics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalysis for Sustainable Conversion of Biomass, Carbon Dioxide and Plastic Waste into Fuels and Chemicals)
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