Korean team develops catalyst turning waste PET bottle component into formate
In short
The Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) said on 22 October that a joint team has developed a catalyst that converts a component obtained from waste PET bottles into formate and has worked out how it operates. The catalyst recorded a Faraday efficiency of 86.37% and kept stable performance for a total of 300 hours in tests with a solution made from broken-down waste bottles.
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The Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI, 한국기초과학지원연구원) said on 22 October that it had developed a catalyst that converts a component obtained from waste PET bottles into formate, and that it had identified how the catalyst works. The research was carried out by a team led by Jin Jong-seong (진종성) together with Professor Choi Myung-ryong (최명룡) of Gyeongsang National University (경상국립대) and Professor Jyh-Chiang Jiang (장즈창) of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (국립타이완과학기술대). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to the reports, chemically breaking down waste PET bottles yields terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. Terephthalic acid can be reused as a plastic raw material, but ethylene glycol mixes well with water and has a high boiling point, which makes it hard to separate and recover. Instead of separating the ethylene glycol, the team converted it into formate, which the reports describe as a useful chemical raw material. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The catalyst is a single-atom catalyst in which ruthenium atoms are fixed one by one on the surface of thin-sheet nickel oxide. Asia Economy and Newsis said it was made by irradiating with a carbon dioxide laser for about 10 minutes, and that the reaction takes place where the nickel oxide and ruthenium meet. [ 1 , 3 ]
In conversion tests the catalyst recorded a Faraday efficiency of 86.37%, which the team said means about 86% of the charge used went into making formate. In tests with a solution made from broken-down waste PET bottles, it kept stable performance for 12 runs of 25 hours, 300 hours in total. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The team used KBSI's hybrid secondary ion mass spectrometer at its Yeongnam Regional Center to analyse the kinds and distribution of substances on the catalyst surface and to identify intermediate substances formed during the reaction. Combined with theoretical calculations, the analysis showed hydrogen coming off ethylene glycol step by step and the carbon-carbon bond breaking as formate forms. Asia Economy and Newsis added that the junction of ruthenium and nickel oxide holds the intermediates stably and promotes formate formation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Jin said the team had secured grounds to explain how ethylene glycol is converted into formate, and that KBSI would use the analysis technique to clarify how other eco-friendly catalysts work and to suggest design directions. Choi, quoted by Asia Economy, said he expected the work to help in developing highly efficient catalysts that turn waste plastic into high-value chemical raw material. Asia Economy and Newsis said the results were published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The outlets present the work as a step toward turning waste plastic into useful chemical raw material. Researchers quoted say the analysis could guide the design of other catalysts, but the documents give no timetable for any wider use.
Key facts
- KBSI said on 22 October that a team led by Jin Jong-seong (진종성) developed a catalyst that converts a component from waste PET bottles into formate and identified its operating principle. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The work was done with a team under Professor Choi Myung-ryong (최명룡) of Gyeongsang National University (경상국립대) and a team at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (국립타이완과학기술대). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The catalyst is a single-atom catalyst with ruthenium atoms fixed one by one on the surface of thin-sheet nickel oxide. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- It recorded a Faraday efficiency of 86.37% in formate conversion tests, meaning about 86% of the charge used went into making formate. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- With a solution made from broken-down waste PET bottles, it kept stable performance for 12 runs of 25 hours, 300 hours in total. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The results were published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- KBSI announced on 22 October that the catalyst converts a component from waste PET bottles into formate and that its operating principle was identified. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The catalyst reached a Faraday efficiency of 86.37% and held stable performance for 300 hours (12 runs of 25 hours) in tests with a solution from broken-down waste bottles. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Analysis with KBSI's hybrid secondary ion mass spectrometer, combined with theoretical calculations, showed hydrogen removed step by step from ethylene glycol and the carbon-carbon bond breaking to form formate. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The study appeared in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the catalyst can be used in real industrial settings. Only Newsis says the 300-hour test secured the possibility of use in actual sites; the other documents mention no field use or timetable.
- How long the laser step in making the catalyst takes. Asia Economy says about 10 minutes of carbon dioxide laser irradiation and Newsis says about 10 minutes; Yonhap does not mention the step.