Fig. 2: Photothermal degradation of LDPE. | Nature Communications

Fig. 2: Photothermal degradation of LDPE.

From: Photothermal recycling of waste polyolefin plastics into liquid fuels with high selectivity under solvent-free conditions

Fig. 2

a Schematic illustration of the photothermal polyolefin plastic recycling system. The thermocouple is used for temperature detection. The gaseous products are sampled through a gas sampling port and liquid/waxy products are collected and analyzed post-reaction by GPC, high-temperature gas chromatography (HTGC), and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). b Degradation percentages of LDPE as a function of photothermal reaction time over Ru/TiO2 at 300 °C under 1 bar H2/Ar (v/v = 30/70). c Degradation percentages of LDPE under various reaction conditions for 20 h (i.e., photothermal degradation at 300 °C, thermal degradation at 300 °C, and photolysis at ambient temperature). d Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal gravimetry (DTG) of pristine LDPE under an Ar atmosphere. e GPC analysis of molecular weight (Mw-PD = 0.49 kDa, Mw-TD = 25.0 kDa, Mw-PL = 66.5 kDa) and dispersity (ĐPD = 1.6, ĐTD = 4.9, ĐPL = 23.5) of corresponding samples. The vertical axis (dw/dlogM) was omitted for clarity. f Temperature profiles of the ambient-pressure reactor, LDPE, Ru/TiO2, and a mixture of Ru/TiO2 and LDPE (1:4 by weight) under illumination from a Xe lamp at the same light intensity (3.0 W cm−2).

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