New PSYCHE article on a better understanding of delamination of multilayer flexible packaging films by carboxylic acids

28-01-2021

Recycling multilayer plastic packaging is challenging due to their intrinsic compositional heterogeneity. A promising route to increase recycling rates for these materials is delamination which allows recycling the polymers separately. Yet, this process is not well fundamentally understood. This study aims to obtain first principles-based insights of the delamination mechanism of multilayer flexible packaging film (MFPF) with carboxylic acids.

PSYCHE in the French press

21-12-2020

The UCCS partners have recently published a widely accessible article in the French press on the PSYCHE project and the recycling and valorization of plastic waste in general. The article, which gives an overview of the global plastic waste production and treatment numbers, current recycling technologies for plastic waste and the specific technologies developed in the PSYCHE project, was first published by the online press agency ‘The Conversation’ under the title “Recyclage et valorization des déchets plastiques: comment ça marche?”.

New PSYCHE article on closed-loop recycling of multilayer and coloured PET plastic waste

29-06-2020

The vast increase in the generation of post-consumer PET plastic waste, as well as fast increasing pledges of brand owners around the world to include recycled content have resulted in a pressing need for efficient recycling processes, such as chemical depolymerization. Although recycling rates of PET bottles are high, those of PET trays and films are still significantly lower due to the broad range of colours and multilayer structures, as well as due to a much poorer collection.

New PSYCHE article on the identification of efficient promoters and selectivity trends in high temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over supported iron catalysts

27-04-2020

In this work, 29 elements were evaluated as promoters for silica supported iron catalysts for high temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis using a high-throughput experimentation unit. The selected promoters include alkali/alkaline metals, transition metals, precious metals and lanthanides. Several general selectivity trends were observed and discussed. The selectivity enhancement to light olefins requires maintaining low selectivity to methane and light paraffins and at the same time, slowing the chain growth to the C5+ hydrocarbons.

PSYCHE presentation at the The Netherlands’ Catalysis and Chemistry Conference

09-03-2020

Alan Barrios (CNRS) has presented his work on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis towards light olefins at the The Netherlands’ Catalysis and Chemistry Conference (NCCC) in Groningen (The Netherlands). This conference is widely renowned in Northern Europe in the field of catalysis. Light olefins are important platform molecules in the chemical industry which can be produced via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis from syngas in the presence of a catalyst.

New PSYCHE article on solvent based additive extraction methods

10-02-2020

Additives are ubiquitously used in plastics to improve their functionality. However, they are not always desirable in their ‘second life’ and are a major bottleneck for chemical recycling. Although research on extraction techniques for efficient removal of additives is increasing, it resembles much like uncharted territory due to the broad variety of additives, plastics and removal techniques. Today solvent-based additive extraction techniques, solid-liquid extraction and dissolution-precipitation, are considered to be the most promising techniques to remove additives.

PSYCHE presentation at 2nd Chemical Research in Flanders conference

21-10-2019

Alan Barrios (CNRS) has presented his work on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis towards light olefins at the 2nd Chemical Research in Flanders conference in Blankenberge (Belgium). Light olefins are important platform molecules in the chemical industry which can be produced via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis from syngas in the presence of a catalyst. Research at CNRS recently demonstrated that promotion of iron catalysts with soldering metals (bismuth and lead) led to an exceptional increase in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction performance and selectivity towards light olefins.

Kick-off meeting with the Advisory Board

26-09-2019

On September 25th 2019, the PSYCHE kick-off meeting with the advisory board took place at Ghent University. The PSYCHE partners are happy to welcome the following companies in the advisory board: AVGI, Comet Traitements, Dow, Engie, Ematco, Galloo, Indaver, Ostend Basic Chemicals, Recticel, Suez, Total Feluy, Unilin and Vanheede. The PSYCHE advisory board will assemble every six months and next to the company members, also the the PSYCHE associated partners (Catalisti, Greenwin and Matikem) will be invited.

PSYCHE presentation at 23rd Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference (GC&E)

17-06-2019

Sibel Ugduler (UGent) has presented her work on solvent pretreatment at the 23rd ACS Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference in Reston, Virginia (USA). This international conference is world-wide renowned in the field of green chemistry and sustainability. At the conference, Sibel presented solvent-based techniques for the pretreatment of plastic waste and the challenges encountered with the removal of additives from plastic waste. Preliminary results on both the technical as economic and environmental aspects have been included.

PSYCHE project turns plastic waste into base chemicals

01-12-2018

The PSYCHE project on the conversion of plastic waste to base chemicals via gasification and subsequent Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has received European funding via the Interreg France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen program (total budget 2.6 million euro). The project, started on July 1st 2018, is a collaboration between Ghent University, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Ecole National Supérieure de Chimie de Lille (ENSCL)-Centre Nationale de la Recherche (CNRS) and CERTECH. The coordination of the project will be performed by Ghent University. Co-funding is provided by the province of East-Flanders, the province of West-Flanders, the Walloon Region and by the Direction Générale Opérationelle de l’Economie, de l’Emploi et de la Recherche (DGO 6, Walloon Region).