From Synthesis to Catalyst Application: Educational Experiments with Zeolites for Plastic Waste Cracking and Industrially Relevant Processes
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| Title: | From Synthesis to Catalyst Application: Educational Experiments with Zeolites for Plastic Waste Cracking and Industrially Relevant Processes |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Douglas Santana Charqueiro, Fernanda Coutinho Guaragna Martins, Anderson Joel Schwanke (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Chemical Education. 2026 103(3):1603-1610. |
| Availability: | Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 8 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Laboratory Experiments, Plastics, Wastes, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Undergraduate Students, College Science, Science Instruction |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01418 |
| ISSN: | 0021-9584 1938-1328 |
| Abstract: | This laboratory experiment presents a set of four integrated practices involving heterogeneous catalysis for undergraduate students in chemistry, industrial chemistry, and chemical engineering. The experiments involve the synthesis, modification, characterization, and application of zeolites as solid acid catalysts in the catalytic cracking of plastic waste (PW). The synthesis and acid activation routes of the zeolites were rationalized by using simple and easy-to-use reagents. Characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the determination of catalytic activity in PW cracking was performed using simple, rapid, and safe thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The dynamic experiments enable students to understand, on a laboratory scale, the central concepts of applied catalysis and the circular economy, bringing teaching closer to the reality of industrially relevant processes. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1499686 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This laboratory experiment presents a set of four integrated practices involving heterogeneous catalysis for undergraduate students in chemistry, industrial chemistry, and chemical engineering. The experiments involve the synthesis, modification, characterization, and application of zeolites as solid acid catalysts in the catalytic cracking of plastic waste (PW). The synthesis and acid activation routes of the zeolites were rationalized by using simple and easy-to-use reagents. Characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the determination of catalytic activity in PW cracking was performed using simple, rapid, and safe thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The dynamic experiments enable students to understand, on a laboratory scale, the central concepts of applied catalysis and the circular economy, bringing teaching closer to the reality of industrially relevant processes. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0021-9584 1938-1328 |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01418 |
