Conversion of Polyethylene into Gasoline-Range Fuels by Two-Stage Catalytic Degradation Using Silica−Alumina and HZSM-5 Zeolite

A two-stage catalytic degradation of polyethylene using amorphous silica−alumina and HZSM-5 zeolite catalysts in series has been developed for converting the polymer into high-quality gasoline-range fuels. Compared with the one-stage degradation over each catalyst, the two-stage method provides some advantages. They are an improved gasoline yield and a high octane number despite low aromatics content. Significant results were obtained when silica−alumina and HZSM-5 were used in a weight ratio of 9:1 as upper and lower catalysts, respectively, in a flow reactor. The reverse sequence of catalysts showed no advantage. It was suggested that large pores and moderate acidity of the silica−alumina loaded in the upper layer operated favorably to catalyze the degradation of polyethylene into liquid hydrocarbons. The resulting oils showed low quality, and they were transformed into high-quality gasoline on the strongly acidic sites of the HZSM-5 loaded in the lower layer at the expense of oil yield. Increases in concentration of isoparaffins and aromatics contributed to the upgrading.