Sustainable Nanoporous Carbon Catalysts Derived from Melamine Assisted Cross-Linking of Poly(vinyl chloride) Waste for Acetylene Hydrochlorination

Conversion of waste plastics into high value carbon materials is of great importance for sustainable development. Herein, we propose a new approach to prepare sustainable nanoporous carbon catalysts (NPCs) with high catalytic performance for acetylene hydrochlorination by using waste poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) as carbon source via a solid grinding method with the assistance of melamine. The addition of melamine not only makes the dechloridation of PVC occur easily at room temperature but also greatly improves the yield of carbon products. The nitrogen and defective sites of the NPCs can be easily adjusted by tuning the amount of melamine. Furthermore, NPCs as a carbon catalyst show superior catalytic performance in acetylene hydrochlorination, and the generated vinyl chloride (VCM) can be polymerized to produce PVC, which realizes the recycling of materials.

Automated summary

The conversion of waste plastics into high value carbon materials is crucial for sustainable development. In this study, sustainable nanoporous carbon catalysts (NPCs) with high catalytic performance were prepared by using waste poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) as a carbon source through a solid grinding method with the assistance of melamine. The addition of melamine facilitated the dechloridation of PVC at room temperature and significantly increased the yield of carbon products. NPCs exhibited superior catalytic performance in acetylene hydrochlorination and the generated vinyl chloride (VCM) could be polymerized to produce PVC, achieving material recycling.