Selective dissolution of PVC in mixed waste plastics: A COSMO-RS based approach for efficient solvent screening

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2024.11.019

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 80 ›› Issue (4): 147-154.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2024.11.019

Previous Articles Next Articles

Selective dissolution of PVC in mixed waste plastics: A COSMO-RS based approach for efficient solvent screening

Tingyu Lei¹, Liang Zou², Chenghao Li², Yujun Liu³, Bo Peng², Xingchen Liu^1,5, Mingfeng Li², Xiaodong Wen^1,4,5

1 State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, China;
2 Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Ltd, Beijing 100083, China;
3 College of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China;
4 National Energy Center for Coal to Liquids, Synfuels China Co., Ltd., Beijing 101400, China;
5 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Received:2024-07-11 Revised:2024-11-09 Accepted:2024-11-24 Online:2025-01-31 Published:2025-04-28
Contact: Xingchen Liu,E-mail:liuxingchen@sxicc.ac.cn;Mingfeng Li,E-mail:limf.ripp@sinopec.com;Xiaodong Wen,E-mail:wxd@sxicc.ac.cn
Supported by:
This work was financially supported by SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Ltd., the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22302220), and the Shanxi Province Science Foundation for Youth (202203021222403). Funding support was also received from the Synfuels China Co., Ltd., and the Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Selective dissolution of PVC in mixed waste plastics: A COSMO-RS based approach for efficient solvent screening

Tingyu Lei¹, Liang Zou², Chenghao Li², Yujun Liu³, Bo Peng², Xingchen Liu^1,5, Mingfeng Li², Xiaodong Wen^1,4,5

1 State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, China;
2 Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Ltd, Beijing 100083, China;
3 College of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China;
4 National Energy Center for Coal to Liquids, Synfuels China Co., Ltd., Beijing 101400, China;
5 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

通讯作者: Xingchen Liu,E-mail:liuxingchen@sxicc.ac.cn;Mingfeng Li,E-mail:limf.ripp@sinopec.com;Xiaodong Wen,E-mail:wxd@sxicc.ac.cn
基金资助:
This work was financially supported by SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Ltd., the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22302220), and the Shanxi Province Science Foundation for Youth (202203021222403). Funding support was also received from the Synfuels China Co., Ltd., and the Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Abstract

Abstract: The widespread use of plastic waste has caused significant environmental pollution, becoming a focal point of global concern, particularly the challenge of dechlorination in mixed plastic waste. Selective dissolution is a promising plastic chemical recycling technology that offers benefits such as simple processes, convenient operation, and recyclable solvents. However, selecting suitable solvents remains a challenge. This study establishes a virtual solvent database containing 530 common inorganic and organic solvents. By calculating the σ-profile of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) models using quantum mechanical calculations and employing the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) method, the solubility performance of these solvents for PVC and PE at different temperatures was predicted. The results demonstrate the high accuracy of the COSMO-RS method in predicting solubility. By comparing the solubility differences between PVC and PE in different solvents, a series of solvents suitable for selectively removing PVC from mixed plastics were identified, for example, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). This method provides a novel solution to the solvent selection challenge in plastic chemical recycling, potentially shortening the research and development period, reducing experimental costs, and promoting the development of green and refined waste plastic recycling processes.

Key words: Solubility, Separation, Recovery, Waste plastics, COSMO-RS

摘要： The widespread use of plastic waste has caused significant environmental pollution, becoming a focal point of global concern, particularly the challenge of dechlorination in mixed plastic waste. Selective dissolution is a promising plastic chemical recycling technology that offers benefits such as simple processes, convenient operation, and recyclable solvents. However, selecting suitable solvents remains a challenge. This study establishes a virtual solvent database containing 530 common inorganic and organic solvents. By calculating the σ-profile of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) models using quantum mechanical calculations and employing the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) method, the solubility performance of these solvents for PVC and PE at different temperatures was predicted. The results demonstrate the high accuracy of the COSMO-RS method in predicting solubility. By comparing the solubility differences between PVC and PE in different solvents, a series of solvents suitable for selectively removing PVC from mixed plastics were identified, for example, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). This method provides a novel solution to the solvent selection challenge in plastic chemical recycling, potentially shortening the research and development period, reducing experimental costs, and promoting the development of green and refined waste plastic recycling processes.

关键词: Solubility, Separation, Recovery, Waste plastics, COSMO-RS

Tingyu Lei, Liang Zou, Chenghao Li, Yujun Liu, Bo Peng, Xingchen Liu, Mingfeng Li, Xiaodong Wen. Selective dissolution of PVC in mixed waste plastics: A COSMO-RS based approach for efficient solvent screening[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 80(4): 147-154.

References

[1] U.N.E. Programme, Turning off the Tap: How the World can End Plastic Pollution and Create a Circular Economy. United Nations Environment Programme, (2023).
[2] OECD, Global Plastics Outlook: Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2022.
[3] K. Zheng, Y. Wu, Z.X. Hu, S.M. Wang, X.C. Jiao, J.C. Zhu, Y.F. Sun, Y. Xie, Progress and perspective for conversion of plastic wastes into valuable chemicals, Chem. Soc. Rev. 52 (1) (2023) 8-29.
[4] L. Zou, R. Xu, H. Wang, Z.Q. Wang, Y.H. Sun, M.F. Li, Chemical recycling of polyolefins: a closed-loop cycle of waste to olefins, Natl. Sci. Rev. 10 (9) (2023) nwad207.
[5] H.Q. Li, H.A. Aguirre-Villegas, R.D. Allen, X.L. Bai, C.H. Benson, G.T. Beckham, S.L. Bradshaw, J.L. Brown, R.C. Brown, V.S. Cecon, J.B. Curley, G.W. Curtzwiler, S. Dong, S. Gaddameedi, J.E. Garcia, I. Hermans, M.S. Kim, J.Z. Ma, L.O. Mark, M. Mavrikakis, O.O. Olafasakin, T.A. Osswald, K.G. Papanikolaou, H. Radhakrishnan, M.A. Sanchez Castillo, K.L. Sanchez-Rivera, K.N. Tumu, R.C. Van Lehn, K.L. Vorst, M.M. Wright, J.Y. Wu, V.M. Zavala, P.Z. Zhou, G.W. Huber, Expanding plastics recycling technologies: chemical aspects, technology status and challenges, Green Chem. 24 (23) (2022) 8899-9002.
[6] S. M. Quan, Y. J. Zhang, X. F. Song, R. P. Du, D. Yu. Status and industrialization progress in dechlorination technologies for waste plastics. China Plastics 36 (09) (2022) 122-130.
[7] M. Kusenberg, M. Roosen, A. Zayoud, M.R. Djokic, H.D. Thi, S. De Meester, K. Ragaert, U. Kresovic, K.M. Van Geem, Assessing the feasibility of chemical recycling via steam cracking of untreated plastic waste pyrolysis oils: Feedstock impurities, product yields and coke formation, Waste Manag. 141 (2022) 104-114.
[8] M. Sadat-Shojai, G.R. Bakhshandeh, Recycling of PVC wastes, Polym. Degrad. Stab. 96 (4) (2011) 404-415.
[9] T. Ma, Q. Q. Liu, X. L. Wei, H. T. Song, M. F. Li. Influence and countermeasures of silicon and chlorine impurities on waste plastic pyrolysis oil. China Plastics 36 (08) (2022) 127-134.
[10] C.H. Park, H.S. Jeon, J.K. Park, PVC removal from mixed plastics by triboelectrostatic separation, J. Hazard. Mater. 144 (1-2) (2007) 470-476.
[11] I. Vollmer, M.J.F. Jenks, M.C.P. Roelands, R.J. White, T. van Harmelen, P. de Wild, G.P. van der Laan, F. Meirer, J.T.F. Keurentjes, B.M. Weckhuysen, Beyond mechanical recycling: giving new life to plastic waste, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed 59 (36) (2020) 15402-15423.
[12] Apk AG, Newcycling^® - high-quality plastics from complex waste, https://www.apk.group/en/.
[13] M. Schlummer, T. Fell, A. Maurer, G. Altnau. The role of chemistry in plastics recycling: A comparison of physical and chemical plastics recycling. Kunststoffe international 5 (2020) 34-37.
[14] P.Z. Zhou, K.L. Sanchez-Rivera, G.W. Huber, R.C. Van Lehn, Computational approach for rapidly predicting temperature-dependent polymer solubilities using molecular-scale models, ChemSusChem 14 (19) (2021) 4307-4316.
[15] T.W. Walker, N. Frelka, Z. Shen, A.K. Chew, J. Banick, S. Grey, M.S. Kim, J.A. Dumesic, R.C. Van Lehn, G.W. Huber, Recycling of multilayer plastic packaging materials by solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation, Sci. Adv. 6 (47) (2020) eaba7599.
[16] M. F. Li, Z. Q. Cai, L. Zou, X. L. Wei, Y. B. Xi, G. Q. Wang, L. L. Cai, Z. M. Zhang, G. F. Xia, H. B. Jiang. Exploration on Chemical Recovery Technology of Plastic Wastes in Sinopec. China Plastics 35 (08) (2021) 64-76.
[17] Y.B. Zhao, X.D. Lv, H.G. Ni, Solvent-based separation and recycling of waste plastics: a review, Chemosphere 209 (2018) 707-720.
[18] F. Tumakaka, J. Gross, G. Sadowski, Thermodynamic modeling of complex systems using PC-SAFT, Fluid Phase Equilib. 228 (2005) 89-98.
[19] A. Tihic, G.M. Kontogeorgis, N. von Solms, M.L. Michelsen, L. Constantinou, A predictive group-contribution simplified PC-SAFT equation of state: application to polymer systems, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 47 (15) (2008) 5092-5101.
[20] C.M. Hansen, Hansen solubility parameters: a user’s handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, Fla.: Taylor & Francis, 2007.
[21] T. Oishi, J.M. Prausnitz, Estimation of solvent activities in polymer solutions using a group-contribution method, Ind. Eng. Chem. Proc. Des. Dev. 17 (3) (1978) 333-339.
[22] A. Klamt, The COSMO and COSMO-RS solvation models, Wiley Interdiscip. Rev. Comput. Mol. Sci. 1 (5) (2011) 699-709.
[23] C. Loschen, A. Klamt, Prediction of solubilities and partition coefficients in polymers using COSMO-RS, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 53 (28) (2014) 11478-11487.
[24] M. Mohan, J.D. Keasling, B.A. Simmons, S. Singh, In silico COSMO-RS predictive screening of ionic liquids for the dissolution of plastic, Green Chem. 24 (10) (2022) 4140-4152.
[25] Z. Song, D. Yu, Q. Zeng, J.J. Zhang, H.Y. Cheng, L.F. Chen, Z.W. Qi, Effect of water on extractive desulfurization of fuel oils using ionic liquids: a COSMO-RS and experimental study, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 25 (2) (2017) 159-165.
[26] C.B. Bavoh, B. Lal, O. Nashed, M.S. Khan, L.K. Keong, M.A. Bustam, COSMO-RS: an ionic liquid prescreening tool for gas hydrate mitigation, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 24 (11) (2016) 1619-1624.
[27] Z.G. Lei, B.F. Zhang, J.Q. Zhu, W.F. Gong, J.N. Lu, Y.S. Li, Solubility of CO₂ in methanol, 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide, and their mixtures, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 21 (3) (2013) 310-317.
[28] R. Ruger, M. Franchini, T. Trnka, A. Yakovlev, E. Van Lenthe, P. Philipsen, T. Van Vuren, B. Klumpers, T. Soini. AMS 2023.1, SCM, Theoretical Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (The Netherlands). (2023).
[29] C.C. Pye, T. Ziegler, An implementation of the conductor-like screening model of solvation within the Amsterdam density functional package, Theor. Chem. Acc. 101 (6) (1999) 396-408.
[30] G. Te Velde, F. M. Bickelhaupt, E. J. Baerends, C. Fonseca Guerra, S. J. A. Van Gisbergen, J. G. Snijders, T. Ziegler. Chemistry with ADF. J. Comput. Chem. 22 (9) (2001) 931-967.
[31] J. P. Perdew. Density-functional approximation for the correlation energy of the inhomogeneous electron gas. Phys. Rev. B Condens. Matter. 33 (12) (1986) 8822-8824.
[32] A. D. Becke. Density-functional exchange-energy approximation with correct asymptotic behavior. Phys. Rev. A Gen. Phys. 38 (6) (1988) 3098-3100.
[33] E. Van Lenthe, E. J. Baerends. Optimized Slater-type basis sets for the elements 1-118. J. Comput. Chem. 24 (9) (2003) 1142-1156.
[34] K. L. Phillips, S. I. Sandler, R. W. Greene, D. M. Di Toro. Quantum mechanical predictions of the Henry's law constants and their temperature dependence for the 209 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42 (22) (2008) 8412-8418.
[35] E. Mullins, R. Oldland, Y. A. Liu, S. Wang, S. I. Sandler, C.-C. Chen, M. Zwolak, K. C. Seavey. Sigma-Profile Database for Using COSMO-Based Thermodynamic Methods. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 45 (12) (2006) 4389-4415.
[36] E. Mullins, Y. A. Liu, A. Ghaderi, S. D. Fast. Sigma Profile Database for Predicting Solid Solubility in Pure and Mixed Solvent Mixtures for Organic Pharmacological Compounds with COSMO-Based Thermodynamic Methods. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 47 (5) (2008) 1707-1725.
[37] S. Kim, J. Chen, T.J. Cheng, A. Gindulyte, J. He, S.Q. He, Q.L. Li, B.A. Shoemaker, P.A. Thiessen, B. Yu, L. Zaslavsky, J. Zhang, E.E. Bolton, PubChem 2023 update, Nucleic Acids Res. 51 (D1) (2023) D1373-D1380.
[38] B. Wunderlich. Thermal Analysis. Academic Press (1990).
[39] K.G. Patterson, S.J. Padgett, N.A. Peppas, Microcrystalline and three-dimensional network structure of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride), Colloid Polym. Sci. 260 (9) (1982) 851-858.

Selective dissolution of PVC in mixed waste plastics: A COSMO-RS based approach for efficient solvent screening

Selective dissolution of PVC in mixed waste plastics: A COSMO-RS based approach for efficient solvent screening

PDF (PC)

Knowledge

Abstract

Cite this article

share this article

References

Related Articles 15

Recommended Articles 0

Metrics

Comments

[1]	Qin Liu, Yan Wang, Zhi Guo, Siyuan Wu, Wancheng Li, Chuanrun Li, Bo Wu. Controllable prepared PDMS/SiO₂/PVDF membrane for the separation of gaseous peppermint aromatic water [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 80(4): 11-23.
[2]	Xinran Zhu, Xuesong Sun, Yanjun Li, Yuexin Han. Sustainable iron recovery from iron ore tailings using hydrogen-based reduction roasting and magnetic separation: A pilot-scale study [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 79(3): 81-90.
[3]	Xuedan Hou, Pengfei Zhao, Xiaohui Lin, Yunxing Gao, Huidong Chen, Di Cai, Peiyong Qin. Current advances in distillation processes for fermentative acetone-butanol-ethanol purification [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 79(3): 91-108.
[4]	Guo-Liang Nie, Rui-Zhi Cui, Hong-Bao Ren, Qiu-Ye Yang, Wu Li. Measurement and calculation of solid–liquid equilibria of two quinary systems LiBr–NaBr–MgBr₂–SrBr₂–H₂O and LiBr–KBr–MgBr₂–SrBr₂–H₂O at 298.15K [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 79(3): 185-199.
[5]	Yulong Zhang, Yun Li, Hongfei Guo, Dong Xu, Jilin Cao. Evaporation crystallization for the extraction of potassium bromide from bitters by phase equilibrium [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 79(3): 212-218.
[6]	Zhiwei Zhao, Yating Wang, Yuhao Tang, Xiaoqing Wang, Feifei Zhang, Jiangfeng Yang. Copper-based metal–organic framework with two methane traps for efficient CH₄/N₂ separation [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 79(3): 234-240.
[7]	Xun Wang, Tianjian Lun, Changbin Xu, Haolong Zheng, Daofei Lv, Xin Chen, Jian Yan, Junjie Peng, Feng Xu, Zewei Liu. Synthesis of a porous organic polymer via click reaction for efficient CH₄/C₂H₆/C₃H₈ separation [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 79(3): 252-259.
[8]	Jiayi Zhang, Jiali He, Guibing Wang, Yu Zhao, Huairong Zhou, Dongliang Wang, Dongqiang Zhang. Study on the recovery of NMP waste liquid in lithium battery production by coupled pervaporation–adsorption process and evaluation of technical and economic performances [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 78(2): 273-283.
[9]	Yuankai Pan, Xingmei Zhang, Wenwen He, Lan Zheng, Xiaolong Han. Dha Tab-COF filled PEBAX mixed matrix membranes for effective CO₂/CH₄ separation [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 77(1): 123-134.
[10]	Chengyun Li, Jiawen Yang, Li Xia, Xiaoyan Sun, Lili Wang, Chao Chen, Shuguang Xiang. Selection of refrigerant based on multi-objective decision analysis for different waste heat recovery schemes [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 77(1): 236-247.
[11]	Lifang Ge, Meizhen Gao, Xiaosheng Zhang, Jiang Wang, Qi Shi, Jinxiang Dong. Hydrophobic CHA-ZIFs with a junctional trap between cha and d6r cages for adsorption of 2,3-butanediol in aqueous solution [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2024, 73(9): 90-100.
[12]	Yuntao Liang, Yongjing Wang, Wenbin Feng, Jingkai Xu, Wei Xiao. A nonwoven supported mixed matrix membrane for CH₄/N₂ separation [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2024, 73(9): 101-108.
[13]	Di Wu, Ping Hu, Hui Li, Zhidan Xue, Hang Lv, Yimeng Guo, Changwei Hu, Liangfang Zhu. Influences of fractional separation on the structure and reactivity of wheat straw cellulose for producing 5-hydroxymethylfurfural [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2024, 73(9): 154-162.
[14]	Xinglong Xiong, Baozhong Ma, Xiang Li, Jiancheng Yu, Longfei Shi, Chengyan Wang, Yongqiang Chen. Hydrometallurgical process and recovery of valuable elements for limonitic laterite: A review [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2024, 73(9): 189-201.
[15]	Wenwen Gao, Yuhuan Wang, Wang Li, Zhifang Zhang, Ting Su, Miao Mu, Ying Gong, Rui Dang, Rui Bai, E Zheng, Wei Zhao. A Z-scheme LaFeO₃-CuFe₂O₄ composite for sulfate radical-based photocatalytic process: Synergistic effect and mechanism [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2024, 73(9): 256-269.