Grave-to-cradle dry reforming of plastics via Joule heating

Abstract

Both plastics and CO₂ are waste carbon resources, and their accumulation in nature has led to severe environmental pollution. However, simultaneously converting plastic waste and CO₂ into value-added chemicals remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate a catalytic reforming process that converts plastics and CO₂ into syngas over an electrified FeCrAl heating wire. The temperature of the electrified heating wire can quickly exceed 800 °C, facilitating the decomposition of polyethylene into gaseous hydrocarbons. The high-temperature heating wire promote the CO₂ deoxygenation, resulting in the generation of CO, as well as the dehydrogenation of gaseous hydrocarbons. Significantly, the additional O species from CO₂ and the carbon species from hydrocarbons can react to form CO, maintaining the high catalytic activity of the electrified heating wire. This novel approach is of paramount to achieving a circular economy in addressing the ongoing environmental crisis caused by the accumulation of plastic waste and excessive CO₂ emissions.