Assessing the feasibility of ocean plastic waste as secondary feedstock for the production of base chemicals
Kibuta C, Akin O, Withoeck D, He Q, Schmidt M, Varghese RJ, Schlummer M, Meester SD, Calik FD, Denton M, Buettner A, Van Geem KM (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2025
Journal
Book Volume: 195
Pages Range: 167-176
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2025.02.003
Abstract
Plastic pollution in the marine environment is a growing concern, with around 10 % of globally produced plastics ending up in oceans annually. Most ocean plastics are incinerated for energy recovery if harvested, since harvesting remains a key challenge. This study evaluated the feasibility of recovering base chemicals from the polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) fraction of ocean plastic waste through a single-step olefin production method. The approach employed a micropyrolyzer unit coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (µP-GC × GC) and dual detectors to analyze gaseous product yields. Elemental and matrix analyses of the waste were performed using CHNS/O elemental analysis, Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and Combustion Ion Chromatography (CIC) to identify potentially harmful components. We present here the yields of critical light olefins such as ethylene (13 wt% from PE samples, 9 wt% from PP samples) and propylene (10 wt% from PE samples, 17 wt% from PP samples) at 700 °C. Pyrolysis products detected in PP samples included 24 wt% of branched olefins, whereas 54 wt% of linear olefins were detected in PE samples. The aromatics detected in the samples ranged between 1–3 wt%, with naphthene levels ranging between 4–7 wt%. Furthermore, metal contaminants, such as nickel, silicon, copper, iron, sodium, calcium, and potassium, were detected from the waste via ICP-OES, and chlorine levels via CIC. The results suggest that ocean plastic waste could serve as feedstock for production of light olefins, provided pre- and post-treatment procedures are implemented to mitigate contamination.
Involved external institutions
Universiteit Gent (UGent) / Ghent University
Belgium (BE)
Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung (IVV)
Germany (DE)
Belgium (BE)
Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung (IVV)
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Kibuta, C., Akin, O., Withoeck, D., He, Q., Schmidt, M., Varghese, R.J.,... Van Geem, K.M. (2025). Assessing the feasibility of ocean plastic waste as secondary feedstock for the production of base chemicals. Waste Management, 195, 167-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2025.02.003
MLA:
Kibuta, Christina, et al. "Assessing the feasibility of ocean plastic waste as secondary feedstock for the production of base chemicals." Waste Management 195 (2025): 167-176.
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