Research Projects

Plastics are becoming indispensable and pervasive in our daily lives because of their high durability, low cost, and process compliance. Due to their high mechanical and chemical stability, they have been widely utilized in the domestic market, packaging, textiles, household consumer goods, and industry. However, the high chemical durability that makes plastics so useful also renders them highly resistant to natural degradation processes. Hence, a vast quantity of plastic produced, approximately of the order of 500 million metric tons annually, and the waste generated by them persists in the environment for decades, contributing significantly to global pollution. Similarly, a huge amount of biomass waste is also generated annually from forestry, agricultural waste and industries. It has a high carbon content, which makes it a potential renewable feedstock. Despite this potential, a large amount of biomass remains underutilized or is inefficiently disposed of through burning or landfilling. Therefore, it results in a major loss of opportunity for circular resource utilization and energy recovery. Traditional valorization methods for plastic and biomass waste are often conducted separately and most of them rely on energy-intensive thermochemical conditions, such as high temperature and pressure and with limited product selectivity. This project proposes the utilization of an integrated photoelectrochemical (PEC) process for the concurrent conversion of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) derived ethylene glycol and biomass-derived platform molecules into value-added chemicals under ambient conditions by using solar energy. The core rationale and scientific objective of the proposal is to bridge the gap between waste management and green chemical production through an innovative PEC system. In the PEC system, the anodic compartment will be used for the oxidation of PET-derived ethylene glycol into valuable small oxygenates, such as glycolic acid and formic acid. On the other hand, the cathodic compartment will facilitate the photoelectrochemical reduction of biomass-derived compounds like furfural, 5-hydroxyl methyl furfural, and lignin into 2-methylfuran, 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan, and monomeric aromatic alcohols, respectively. These products serve as precursors to biofuels, biodegradable polymers, and fine chemicals. All these processes require sustainable and efficient catalysts. Hence, the central hypothesis of this project is to design and synthesize non-noble metal-based heterogeneous catalysts for selective oxidation of plastic waste and selective reduction of biomass waste under solar-driven PEC conditions simultaneously. The scientific objectives are as follows: (1) To design and synthesize non-noble metal-based catalysts (MXenes and metal phosphides) supported over graphitic carbon nitride for the oxidation of plastic waste and the reduction of biomass waste under solar-driven PEC conditions. (2) To perform photoelectrochemical oxidation and reduction of PET-derived ethylene glycol and biomass-based chemicals, respectively to value-added products using custom designed metal-based heterogeneous catalysts. (3) To establish structure-activity relationships for the catalysts and elucidate reaction mechanisms using advanced characterization techniques. (4) To evaluate Green metrics parameters and perform Life cycle assessment and Techno-economic analysis (5) To build and demonstrate a pilot-scale photoelectrochemical reactor for kilogram scale reaction in collaboration with our industrial partner, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), India. The major deliverable of this project will be a pilot-scale solar-powered photoelectrochemical reactor that can convert the waste plastic and biomass into value-added products. This would represent a major advancement toward sustainable materials management, renewable energy integration, and carbon-neutral chemical production, thereby leading to a zero waste economy.