Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) for greener plastic catalytic pyrolysis: A novel catalyst for enhanced hydrogen production and carbon capture

This research investigated a novel activated carbon-clove catalyst (AC-Cl) for the degradation of municipal plastic waste (LDPE, PP, PS) into valuable gaseous products (H2 and CH4) more efficiently. We used computer simulations (DFT/B3LYP) and experiments to analyze how clove (Cl) in the AC catalyst affects the plastic decomposition process by pyrolysis. The presence of phenolic functional groups from clove in the catalyst modulates not only its electronic and physical properties but also creates more active microsites, thereby accelerating plastic decomposition and preventing unwanted molecule recombination. This improved performance translates to a significant increase in H2 production rate (up to 20.23%) and CH4 production rate (up to 17.24%) at lower temperatures, requiring less energy. Furthermore, the AC-Cl catalyst shows promise for capturing carbon during plastic pyrolysis. The clove addition enhances the catalyst's adsorption capacity of radicals produced during the decomposition reaction, as evidenced by a 96.9% increase in captured carbon atoms.