Upcycling waste polyvinyl chloride: One-pot synthesis of valuable carbon materials and pipeline-quality syngas via pyrolysis in a closed reactor

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the most commonly used plastics. The treatment and recycling of PVC waste is still challenging, due to its non-biodegradability, low thermal stability, high Cl content and low product value. In this study, a one-pot method was developed to upcycle PVC into valuable carbon materials, pipeline-quality pyrolysis gas and chlorides. The well-designed process included dechlorination by Cl-fixative (ZnO or KOH), carbonization of dechlorinated polyenes, and modification of carbon materials in sequence. ZnO and KOH converted 84.48% and 94.15% of total Cl into corresponding chlorides, respectively. CH