{
    "title": "Catalytic Thermal Depolymerisation (Plastic to Diesel)",
    "inventor_name": "James Holm and Swaminathan Ramesh",
    "publication_year": 2017,
    "device_name": "Catalytic Thermal Depolymerisation Reactor",
    "goal": "Convert waste plastics into drop-in diesel fuel",
    "problem_addressed": "Large volumes of plastic waste polluting oceans and landfills, and lack of efficient recycling pathways",
    "concept_summary": "A mobile, small-footprint reactor uses a metallocene-based catalyst deposited on a porous support with a reducing metal component (Fe, Ni, Pd, Pt) to perform continuous-feed pyrolysis of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. The catalyst enables direct formation of diesel-range hydrocarbons (C4-C40) without downstream refining, allowing scalable conversion of plastic waste into usable fuel.",
    "detailed_description": "The patented system comprises a porous support (average pore size ~10 Angstrom) bearing an exterior-surface depolymerization catalyst (metallocene or Ziegler-Natta type) and a reducing catalyst component within the pores. Plastic feedstock is fed continuously into the reactor, where controlled heating (pyrolysis) in the presence of the catalyst breaks polymer chains into hydrocarbons that fall within the diesel fuel range. The reactor can be housed in a 20-foot shipping container or mounted on a flat-bed truck, enabling on-site processing of 200 lb to >10,000 lb of plastic per 10-hour day.",
    "category": "Chemistry & Chemical Processes",
    "principles": [
        "Catalytic depolymerisation",
        "Pyrolysis",
        "Metallocene catalysis",
        "Continuous-feed processing"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Chemistry",
        "Chemical Engineering",
        "Environmental Engineering"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "Catalyst-mediated cleavage of polymer chains to hydrocarbons",
        "Reduction of metal catalyst within pores to promote selective cracking"
    ],
    "materials": [
        "Porous support (e.g., silica, alumina)",
        "Metallocene catalyst",
        "Reducing metal (Fe, Ni, Pd, Pt)",
        "Polyethylene",
        "Polypropylene",
        "Polystyrene"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [
        "Thermal energy (heat) for pyrolysis"
    ],
    "inputs": [
        "Plastic waste (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene)",
        "Catalyst system",
        "Heat"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "Diesel-range hydrocarbons (C4-C40)",
        "Fuel"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "Direct production of diesel fuel without further refining; scalable throughput from 200 lb to >10,000 lb of plastic per 10-hour day; operation within a 20-foot container or truck-mounted unit.",
    "experimental_evidence": "The article reports laboratory development and plans a demonstration project for the city of Santa Cruz, but provides no quantitative performance data.",
    "replication_status": null,
    "keywords": [
        "Plastic recycling",
        "Depolymerisation",
        "Catalytic pyrolysis",
        "Diesel fuel",
        "Metallocene catalyst",
        "Mobile reactor"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "Pyrolysis",
        "Catalytic cracking",
        "Metallocene catalysis"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "low",
    "confidence_score": 0.9,
    "practicability_score": 0.6,
    "fringe_score": 0.2,
    "evidence_strength": 0.3,
    "risk_score": 0.2,
    "trl_estimate": 4,
    "source_urls": [
        "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170403083052.htm",
        "http://www.rexresearch.com/us9802184/US9802184B2.pdf"
    ],
    "organizations": [
        "EcoFuel Technologies",
        "Clean Oceans International"
    ],
    "applications": [
        "Fuel production from waste plastics",
        "Plastic waste remediation"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "No peer-reviewed quantitative data yet",
        "Long-term catalyst durability not demonstrated",
        "Scale-up and economic analysis pending"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "What is the overall energy efficiency of the process?",
        "How does catalyst performance change over many cycles?",
        "Can the system handle mixed or contaminated plastic streams?"
    ],
    "red_flags": [
        "Claims are based on planned demonstrations rather than completed trials",
        "Lack of independent verification or peer-reviewed publications"
    ],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "They are developing a process to reuse certain plastics, transforming them from worthless trash into a valuable diesel fuel with a small mobile reactor.",
        "The catalyst system also allows us to perform the pyrolysis as a continuous-feed process and shrink the footprint of the whole system.",
        "We can scale the capacity to handle anywhere from 200 pounds per 10-hour day to 10,000 or more pounds per 10-hour day.",
        "The whole system can fit in a 20-foot shipping container or on the back of a flat-bed truck.",
        "They will soon conduct a demonstration project for the government of the city of Santa Cruz, California."
    ]
}