Enhancing Plastic Recycling by Unveiling Coupled Radical and Catalytic Cracking Mechanisms

As plastic waste defines the present era, efforts towards the development of recycling technology are ramping up. For polyolefins (PO), common packaging materials, the available technologies of mechanical recycling and of pyrolysis (thermal conversion) have several drawbacks and can process only a fraction of waste. PO conversion can be improved via a promising alternative based on the presence of H2S, which promotes thermal cracking. In presence of a heterogeneous catalyst, the products obtained can be optimized to maximize “plastic to plastic” recycling. Preliminary studies at IFPEN have demonstrated such enhancement experimentally, but fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanism is still necessary.
Your mission will be to elucidate the thermal cracking mechanism of polyolefins in the presence of H2S and to optimize the coupling of the thermal mechanism with a catalytic mechanism by adding a catalyst. You will carry out plastic conversion tests in a dedicated unit and characterize the products. You will then interpret the results to propose a reaction mechanism and its modeling.
This research will provide valuable fundamental understanding of the mechanism of polyolefin cracking in presence of H2S both experimentally and theoretically. This knowledge is absent from the current literature and is essential to the development of an alternative and robust recycling technology. 
The work will take place at IFPEN, mostly in Lyon (Solaize) with some time spent in Paris (Rueil), a research entity with significant experience in the study of complex molecule conversion, catalytic systems, reaction mechanisms and kinetic modeling. The project is developed in collaboration with CP2M Laboratory in Villeurbanne specialized in polyolefin synthesis, recycling, and their characterization. 

Keywords: plastic, recycling, polyolefins, conversion, kinetic modeling, hydrocracking, hydrogen, sulfur

• Academic supervisor    Dr Elodie DEVERS, IFPEN, ORCID : 0000-0001-8273-9666
• Doctoral School    ED206 Chimie de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
• IFPEN supervisor    Dr Ana Teresa FIALHO BATISTA, ana-teresa.fialho-batista@ifpen.fr, ORCID : 0000-0001-9905-3898
• Co-Supervisor    Dr Vincent MONTEIL, CP2M Laboratory, ORCID : 0000-0001-9905-3898
• PhD location    IFPEN, Lyon, France 
• Duration and start date    3 years, starting in the fourth quarter 2025
• Employer    IFPEN
• Academic requirements    University master degree in chemical sciences, chemical engineering
• Language requirements    Fluent in English, willingness to learn French
• Other requirements    Liking for laboratory work; Knowledge of numerical simulations appreciated; Programming skills appreciated

To apply, please send your cover letter and CV to the IFPEN supervisor indicated here below.