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Sibel Ügdüler, PhD student on the PSYCHE project, has developed methods to recycle plastic packaging cheaper and more quantitatively. Her PhD research has been awarded with the EOS Pipet 2022 in cooperation with the Young Academy. Sibel has developed a novel method to take apart the polymer layers of plastic packaging. With special solvent techniques, she is able to quickly dissolve the glue which ties the layers together and to fully recuperate each separate layer. She also developed a useful method for the deinking of plastics.

Among the different thermo-chemical recycling routes for plastic waste valorization, gasification is one of the most promising, converting plastic waste into syngas (H₂+CO) and energy in the presence of an oxygen-rich gas. Plastic waste gasification is associated with many different complexities due to the multi-scale nature of the process, the feedstock complexity (mixed polyolefins with different contaminations), intricate reaction mechanisms, plastic properties (melting behavior and molecular weight distribution), and complex transport phenomena in a multi-phase flow system.

Predicting the impact of input process variables on chemical processes is key to assess their performance of the latter. Models explaining this impact through a mechanistic approach are rarely readily available, complex in nature and/or require long development time. With increased automation in industries and the availability of high-throughput experimental data, data-driven machine learning models are gaining popularity due to their simplicity and reduced computational effort.

Flexible plastic packaging is still one of the most difficult streams to recycle due to the presence of multilayers. With multilayers being very functional during their use phase, the delamination of  multilayer structures is promising because it enables the recovery of the constituent polymer layers without any degradation and/or dissolution, thus creating economic and environmental benefits.

In cooperation between UCCS and Ghent University, an article on the PSYCHE project has recently been published in the scientific journal Actualité Chimique. The management of plastic waste is nowadays a major concern of society and requires new technological breakthroughs. This paper addresses development of a new and unique approach for valorization of plastic waste into olefins. This approach involves their pre-treatment, their gasification (using the latest Vortex reactor technology), the syngas purification, and finally the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis combined with kinetic modeling.

Machine learning (ML) methods, such as artificial neural networks (ANNs), bring the data-driven design of chemical reactions within reach. Simultaneously with the verification of the absence of any bias in the machine learning model as compared to the microkinetic data, interpretation techniques such as permutation importance, SHAP values and partial dependence plots allow for a more systematic (model agnostic) analysis of these data.

Metal nanoparticles on the surface of porous supports have found numerous applications in different areas of science. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, which proceeds on the surface of cobalt metal nanoparticles, is an efficient way to convert renewables and fossil feedstocks into alternative fuels. The stability of cobalt catalysts is an essential and even crucial parameter and can be significantly improved by promotion.

Kinetic models constitute a useful tool to provide fundamental insights for catalyst development. Single-Event MicroKinetic modelling (SEMK) is a versatile strategy to assess complex reactions with a limited number of parameters. Particularly for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis SEMK modelling has focused on explaining the performances of individual catalysts within a wide range of operating conditions. In this work, we extend the capabilities of the SEMK modelling approach to investigate the influence of variation in catalyst properties i.e.

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is an essential approach to convert coal, biomass, and shale gas into fuels and chemicals, such as lower olefins, gasoline, diesel, and so on. In recent years, there has been increasing motivation to deploy FTS at commercial scales which has been boosting the discovery of high performance catalysts. In particular, the importance of support in modulating the activity of metals has been recognized and carbonaceous materials have attracted attention as supports for FTS.

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?”.

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.

Liquid metals are a new emerging and rapidly growing class of materials and can be considered as efficient promoters and active phases for heterogeneous catalysts for sustainable processes. Because of low cost, high selectivity and flexibility, iron-based catalysts are the catalysts of choice for light olefin synthesis via Fischer–Tropsch reaction. Promotion of iron catalysts supported by carbon nanotubes with bismuth, which is liquid under the reaction conditions, results in a several fold increase in the reaction rate and in a much higher light olefin selectivity.

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.

On September 25^th 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.