Selective solar wax refining with nanoscale zero-valent iron
Abstract
Abstract Wax refining transforms raw wax into high-grade product by increasing the uniformity of molecular carbon-chain length and removing impurities. Conventional thermochemical approaches face inherent limitations in effectively reducing carbon-chain dispersity ( Ð ) due to their non-selective C-C scission in feedstock waxes. This mechanistic constraint consequently necessitates energy-intensive downstream processing involving fractional distillation and purification. Here, we demonstrate a selective solar wax refining method that upgrades the raw polyethylene wax by significantly reducing its Ð from 2.5 to 2.0 in one step with a reaction selectivity beyond 80%, enabled by nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) catalyst and sunlight. At the nZVI-wax interface, photons activate C-H bonds to provide hydrogen atoms, while localized hot spots mediate C-C bonds cleavage via hydrogen atom transfer initiated hydrocracking and concurrent evaporative desorption of fragmented wax product, thereby achieving precise control over carbon-chain dispersity. This work exemplifies the potential in precise and efficient solar refinery.
Article Details
Authors (12)
Yifei Sun
State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry
Chengliang Mao
State Key Laboratory of Green Papermaking and Resource Recycling, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery, School of Environmental Science and Engineering
Yunjie Zou
State Key Laboratory for Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering
Yuqing Hu
State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry
Di Yang
Hubei Key Laboratory of Biomass Resource Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Sustainable Resource and Energy, Hubei Engineering Center of Natural Polymers-based Medical Materials, School of Resource and Environmental Science, Wuhan University
Junzhou Xu
State Key Laboratory of Green Papermaking and Resource Recycling, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery, School of Environmental Science and Engineering
Haopeng Pei
State Key Laboratory of Green Papermaking and Resource Recycling, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery, School of Environmental Science and Engineering
Yanbiao Shi
Zipeng Chen
Wendong Wei
Zhihui Ai
Lizhi Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Green Papermaking and Resource Recycling, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery, School of Environmental Science and Engineering