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Plastic consumption has reached astronomical amounts. The issue is the single-use plastics that continue to harm the environment, degrading into microplastics that find their way into our environment. Finding sustainable, reliable, and safe methods to break down plastics is a complex but valuable endeavor. This research aims to assess the viability of using biochar as a catalyst to break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics under hydrothermal liquefaction conditions. PET is most commonly found in single-use plastic water bottles. Using glycolysis as the reaction, biochar is added and assessed based on yield and time duration of the reaction. This research suggests that temperatures of 300℃ and relatively short experimental times were enough to see the complete conversion of PET through glycolysis. Further research is necessary to determine the effectiveness of biochar as a catalyst and the potential of process industrialization to begin reducing plastic overflow.
- Wyatt, Olivia (Author)
- Deng, Shuguang (Thesis director)
- Jin, Kailong (Committee member)
- Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
- Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor)
- 2023-04-13 01:13:47
- 2023-04-17 01:28:14
- 1 year 7 months ago