Environmental-friendly extraction of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate from poly(vinyl chloride) using liquefied dimethyl ether.

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is one of the most widely used plastics. However, a major challenge in recycling PVC is that there is no economical method to separate and remove its toxic phthalate plasticizers. This research made a breakthrough by extracting PVC with liquefied dimethyl ether (DME) and successfully separating the plasticizer components. Nearly all (97.1 %) of the di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate plasticizer was extracted within 30 min by passing liquefied DME (285 g) through PVC at 25 °C. The compatibility of PVC with organic solvents, including liquefied DME, was derived theoretically from their Hansen solubility parameters (HSP), and actual dissolution experiments were conducted to determine the optimal PVC solvents. A liquefied DME mixture was used to dissolve PVC, and the extract was diluted with ethanol to precipitate the dissolved PVC. We demonstrated that liquefied DME is a promising method for producing high quality recycled products and that the process retains the fundamental properties of plasticizers and PVC without inducing degradation or depolymerization. Because of its low boiling point, DME can be easily separated from the solute after extraction, allowing for efficient reuse of the solvent, extracted plasticizer, and PVC. DME does not require heat and produces little harmful wastewater, which significantly reduces the energy consumption of the plasticizer additive separation process.

Facile Synthesis and Insight of Atomically Dispersed Ni Catalyst on N-Doped Carbonized Lignin for Highly Efficient Electrochemical CO2 Reduction to CO.

For the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR), the single-metal atom catalysts (SACs) on N-doped carbon are considered promising alternatives to conventional catalysts owing to their unique electrocatalytic properties. However, environmentally friendly methods to prepare SACs are still required. Herein, Ni SAC was synthesized using lignin derived from biomass whose structural and chemical properties render it suitable as both a base carbon matrix and a metal chelating agent. The coordination environment of active Ni-Nx sites was readily manipulated by controlling thermal activation. The Ni SAC on lignin-derived N-doped carbon achieved an outstanding CO Faradaic efficiency of 98.2 % at -0.9 V vs. RHE, which is comparable to those of conventional SACs. Experimental results combined with DFT calculations demonstrate the optimal conditions for manufacturing Ni SAC which is highly selective for CO2 -to-CO conversion and the effect of the electronic structure of Ni atom on CO2 RR kinetics.

CFD simulation of CVD reactors in the CH3SiCl3(MTS)/H2 system using a two-step MTS decomposition and one-step SiC growth models.

In this study, we report on a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the chemical vapor deposition reactor of silicon carbide (SiC) in the methyltrichlorosilane (MTS, CH3SiCl3)/H2 system. The formation of SiC thin film is controlled by various process parameters, such as temperature and pressure. In this study, we propose a reaction mechanism of MTS decomposition to SiC growth on a substrate surface for CVD reactors in the CH3SiCl3(MTS)/H2 system. The reaction mechanism has two gas-phase pyrolysis reactions and one SiC film formation reaction. However, we individually build and validate MTS decomposition and SiC growth models to reduce uncertainty. An in-house version of reactingFoam, a reactive flow solver within OpenFOAM v2006, was used as the simulation tool. Our model accurately reproduced MTS decomposition for T = 1100-1350 K and [H2]/[MTS] = 2.65-14 at p = 101,325 Pa. Then, the MTS decomposition model was coupled with the SiC growth model, and the coupled model was applied to the SiC deposition data. The model could reproduce multiple datasets through validation studies.

Theoretical Study on Elementary Reaction Steps in Thermal Decomposition Processes of Syringol-Type Monolignol Compounds.

This paper theoretically investigated a large number of reaction pathways and kinetics to describe the vapor-phase pyrolytic behavior of several syringol-type monolignol compounds that are derived from the primary pyrolysis of lignin: 1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (HDPP), sinapyl alcohol, 3-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)propan-1-one (HHDPP), 1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-diol (HDPPD), and syringol. The possible pyrolytic pathways involving unimolecular decomposition, addition, and abstraction reactions were investigated by comparing the energy barriers calculated at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level. In the proposed pathways, all syringol-type monolignols containing a side chain undergo its cleavage to form syringol through the formation of syringaldehyde or 4-vinylsyringol. Syringol is then converted into two products: (a) pyrogallol via the homolysis of the O-CH3 bond and hydrogenation or (b) guaiacol via addition of an H atom with a carbon bearing methoxyl group in syrignol and the subsequent demethoxylation. The pyrolytic pathways of pyrogallol are classified into two processes: (a) the concerted dehydrogenation of the two hydroxyl H atoms and the unimolecular decomposition to produce acetylene (C2H2), ethynol (C2HOH), and CO or (b) the displacement of an OH with H to produce catechol and resorcinol. Additionally, HDPP undergoes O-CH3 bond cleavage to form but-1-en-3-yne. The high-pressure limit rate constants for all the proposed elementary reaction steps were evaluated on the basis of transition state theory.

Theoretical Study on the Kinetics of Thermal Decomposition of Guaiacol and Catechol.

The theoretical aspects of the development of a chemical kinetic model for guaiacol and catechol pyrolysis are presented to describe the pyrolysis behaviors of the individual lignin-derived components. The possible pyrolysis pathways involving both unimolecular and bimolecular decomposition were investigated by the potential energy surfaces (PES) calculated at CBS-QB3 level. The high-pressure limiting rate constants of each elementary reaction step were evaluated based on the transition state theory (TST) to determine the dominant pyrolysis pathways. The kinetic analysis results predicted the most favorable catechol unimolecular decomposition pathways, where catechol isomerization to 2-hydroxycyclohexa-2,4-dien-1-one occurred via migration of the hydroxyl H atom, followed by decomposition into 1,3-cyclobutadiene, acetylene, and CO. In the case of the bimolecular reaction of catechol, a hydrogen radical is coupled to the carbon atom in the benzene ring, leading to the formation of phenol and a hydroxyl radical through dehydroxylation. On the other hand, guaiacol is likely to form catechol and phenol via the O-CH3 homolysis and coupling of a hydrogen radical to the carbon atom with the methoxyl group, respectively.

Theoretical Study on Hydrogenolytic Cleavage of Intermonomer Linkages in Lignin.

Hydrogenolysis is an important approach for depolymerization of lignin, which provides attractive new sustainable platforms of fuels, chemicals, and materials. The theory of lignin hydrogenolysis is, however, still unsound, which limits the development of this approach and causes inconsistencies among experimental studies. In this paper, density functional theory is employed to investigate the initial hydrogenolytic cleavages of recognized five different types of interaromatic unit linkages of lignin, assuming the presence of hydrogen free radicals. The relative free energies of reactant complexes, reaction free energy changes, and rate constants for candidate reactions are calculated comprehensively at 298-538 K. On the basis of the results of calculation and a rapid equilibrium hypothesis, the major reaction channel is decided for each linkage, and its kinetics is assessed. It is concluded that the hydrogenolysis occurs at ß-O-4 ether, diphenyl ether 4-O-5', and ß-1' diphenylmethane linkages instantaneously if these are accessible to hydrogen free radicals, while ß-5 phenylcoumaran and ß-ß' pinoresinol linkages are virtually inert to hydrogenolysis.

Theoretical Study on Reaction Pathways Leading to CO and CO2 in the Pyrolysis of Resorcinol.

Possible pathways for the pyrolysis of resorcinol with the formation of CO and CO2 as final products were proposed and evaluated using ab initio calculations. Our experimental study revealed that large quantities of CO2 are generated in the pyrolysis of 1,3-dihydroxybenzene (resorcinol), while the pyrolysis of the dihydroxybenzene isomers 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (catechol) and 1,4-dihydroxybenzene (hydroquinone) produces little CO2. The fate of oxygen atoms in catechol and hydroquinone was essentially the formation of CO. In the proposed pathways, the triplet ground state m-benzoquinone was generated initially from simultaneous cleavage of the two O-H bonds in resorcinol. Subsequently, the direct cleavage of a C-C bond of the m-benzoquinone diradical yields 2-oxidanylcyclopenta-2,4-dien-1-yl-methanone, which can be converted via two channels: release of CO from the aldehyde radical group and combination of the ketone radical and carbon atom in the aldehyde radical group to form the 6-oxabicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-2,4-dien-7-one, resulting in the release of CO2. Potential energy surfaces along the proposed reaction pathways were calculated employing the CBS-QB3 method, and the rate constants at the high-pressure limit were also evaluated based on transition-state theory to assess the feasibility of the proposed reaction pathways.