Plastic waste has been considered an environmental hazard because of its non-biodegradability. If we do not find out a sustainable technology for waste plastic conversion, it will cover the whole planet and collapse the ecosystem. In the present investigation, pyrolysis of waste LDPE and HDPE were investigated using sol-gel derived silica-alumina and activated carbon-doped silica-alumina which were synthesized by the process. Catalysts were characterized with FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDS, BET, etc. Pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a batch reactor the ratio of polymer and catalyst in 25 wt%. Activated carbon-doped silica-alumina catalyst achieved the highest 96% conversion on account of its higher specific surface area and uniform mesoporosity. The liquid product was characterized using infrared (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (<sup>1</sup>H NMR, <sup>13</sup>C NMR, and DEPT-135), and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). It was found that the liquid products consist of branched aliphatic (saturated and unsaturated) and aromatic hydrocarbons. This pyrolysis technology should be commercialized because it is cost-effective and eco-friendly.

Sol-gel derived mesoporous catalysts for conversion of waste plastic into energy sources

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