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Nanotubes

Carbon Nanotubes Produced from Waste Plastic through Catalytic Pyrolysis

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers at the National Institute of Technology in Calicut, India, have made a breakthrough in producing high-quality carbon nanotubes from waste plastic using a novel catalytic pyrolysis process. The study has demonstrated the potential of recycling LDPE waste plastics to produce single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes with improved yield, purity, and morphology. The research highlights the importance of catalyst structure and composition in determining the quality of carbon nanotubes produced.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study used a sol-gel method to synthesize bimetallic catalysts with various ratios of active metals (Ni, Fe, Co) and a promoter (Mo) on an Al2O3 catalyst support.
  • Single metallic catalysts produced single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with diameters ranging from 2.5 nm to 6.5 nm, while bimetallic catalysts produced multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with diameters between 20.7 nm and 38.6 nm.
  • The Ni/Mo/Al2O3 and Fe:Ni (1:3)/Mo/Al2O3 catalysts yielded high-quality carbon nanotubes with well-defined morphology and strong graphitization, with yields of up to 46.4% and 37.2%, respectively.
  • The research highlights the potential of recycling LDPE waste plastics to produce high-quality carbon nanotubes, promoting environmental sustainability and waste management.
  • The study contributes to the understanding of the catalytic pyrolysis process and offers insights into the connection between catalyst structure, CNT generation, and the shape of CNT.

Statistics:

  • The research produced single-walled carbon nanotubes with diameters ranging from 2.5 nm to 6.5 nm.
  • The bimetallic catalysts produced multi-walled carbon nanotubes with diameters between 20.7 nm and 38.6 nm.
  • The Ni/Mo/Al2O3 and Fe:Ni (1:3)/Mo/Al2O3 catalysts yielded 46.4% and 37.2% of CNTs, respectively.
  • The study demonstrated the potential of recycling LDPE waste plastics to produce high-quality carbon nanotubes.

Sources:

  • Enhancing CNT yield and morphology from waste plastics: A study on catalyst composition and performance. Next Nanotechnology, 2025,8():100273.
  • https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100273 (free version of the journal article)
  • Sreeja P, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Calicut 673601, India.
  • Vineesh Ravi, additional author on the research.

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