Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Chemical Engineering

First Advisor

Jochen Lauterbach

Abstract

ABSTRACT In today's world, technical innovations are increasing quickly with the main goals of boosting productivity, resolving difficult problems, and making money. However, making sure that these breakthroughs are developed sustainably is a crucial component of modern research. A detailed examination of energy generation and material consumption is necessary to achieve sustainability, as many technological solutions demand substantial energy and material resources. The two main categories of energy sources are renewable and nonrenewable where have unique benefits and drawbacks. Both kinds of resources are thoroughly examined in this study, with an emphasis on their efficacy and sustainability. The majority of energy and materials produced today come from nonrenewable resources, especially those obtained from fossil fuels. Bio-based sources are frequently costly and in short supply, and bulk renewable alternatives are still limited in terms of materials. Therefore, a practical approach to sustainable material management is recycling and upcycling current materials. This study focuses on the catalytic upcycling of wastes made of chemically complicated oxygenated polymers, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol (PPG), and polyurethane (PU). In this word reactor systems and catalysts were designed to optimize selectivity toward valuable products in order to create commercially feasible upcycling technologies. First, PPG and PEG were treated in their liquid forms, while solid PU foams were liquefied by aminolysis using monoethanolamine. These liquid polymers underwent catalytic cracking at 450 ℃ under nitrogen flow at atmospheric pressure in the presence of different commercial and custom-synthesized zeolites during the subsequent catalytic step. Customized MFI-type zeolites with improved acidity and surface morphology were created to increase the production of target products, especially propionaldehyde, a useful industrial chemical with a wide range of uses. The study also discusses the difficulties posed by renewable energy sources. According to statistical study, a sizable amount of the world's energy needs might be satisfied by wind and solar energy. However, because they are weather-dependent and intermittent, effective energy storage solutions are required. Among various storage methods, hydrogen production from water electrolysis has emerged as a promising approach. Despite its advantages, hydrogen storage and transportation remain substantial technological barriers due to its low volumetric energy density and high diffusivity. To solve these issues, ammonia synthesis from hydrogen and nitrogen has been considered as a possible alternative for safe storage and transport. After that, the ammonia needs to break down again into hydrogen so that fuel cells can produce electricity. Nevertheless, there are a number of inefficiencies in this technology chain that need more investigation and improvement. Ammonia breakdown catalysts that are both highly active and economical were created to increase the viability of this process. In particular, Ru/AlCeO catalysts made via the reverse micelle technique showed encouraging catalytic activity, providing a potential to use hydrogen more effectively in sustainable energy storage. Overall, by enhancing catalytic processes for hydrogen-based energy storage and polymer upcycling, this research advances sustainable energy and material solutions. The results provide useful advice on how to lessen reliance on fossil fuels while increasing the economic feasibility of renewable energy sources. To move toward a more sustainable and energy-efficient future, these strategies must be further developed and integrated

Rights

© 2025, Kanan Shikhaliyev

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Available for download on Monday, May 31, 2027

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