Reductive catalytic upcycling of polyethylene using 2-propanol as transfer hydrogen-donor source

iScience 2026 Open access

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Authors: Antonio Cosimo Pio Trimboli, Viviana Bressi, Emilia Paone, Riccardo Pellegrini, Paolo Lazzarini, Elena Groppo, Francesco Mauriello
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116786
Cited by: 1
References: 40

Abstract

The reductive upcycling of polyethylene (PE) promoted by a commercial Ru/Al 2 O 3 catalyst under an inert atmosphere in the presence of hydrogen-donor alcohols is reported. Among the alcohols tested, 2-propanol (2-PrOH) enabled the highest PE conversion (65%) indicating that external molecular hydrogen is not required under the applied conditions. The process affords high selectivity toward C 12 –C 20 liquid hydrocarbons with minimal gas formation. This previously unexplored approach applies transfer-hydrogenation concepts from biomass valorization to polyolefin upgrading, enabling efficient depolymerization without external molecular hydrogen.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Polymer crystallization and properties Microplastics and Plastic Pollution Environmental remediation with nanomaterials

Publication details

Journal / source
iScience
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
29
Issue
8
Pages
116786–116786
Publication date
17 July 2026
Language
EN