Synthesis of Carbon Nanofilaments from Recycled Polymers

PRIMA CONTRIBUTION:

PROJECT DETAILS:

NanoF-PoRes (Carbon Nanofilaments from Residual Polymers) is a collaborative project involving PRIMA, KWI Polymers, Soleno, and the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS). The project builds upon a patented technology developed at UdeS, combined with KWI Polymers’ expertise in nano-additive dispersion.

The primary objective of the project is to develop and scale up a process for the synthesis of carbon nanofilaments (CNFs). The R&D activities focus on two thermocatalytic reactor configurations: an autothermal pyrolysis reactor and a combined catalytic fluidized/moving-bed reactor. The project also includes the characterization and evaluation of the resulting CNFs as functional additives for polymer-based materials.

The process builds upon U.S. Patent No. 7,794,690, owned by the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), which relates to carbon sequestration, as well as U.S. Patent Applications Nos. 2007/0253886 and 2005/0220695, also held by UdeS. The initial phase of the project focuses on adapting this patented technology to utilize non-recyclable polymer waste, otherwise destined for landfill disposal, as a feedstock for the production of synthetic gaseous and liquid intermediates. The reforming catalyst used to convert these intermediates is based on U.S. Patent Application No. 2012/0273728, while the catalyst for carbon nanofilament (CNF) growth is derived from U.S. Patent Application No. 2009/0203519. This catalyst will be optimized to precisely control both the morphology of the CNFs and the catalyst loading incorporated within their structure. As part of the project, a CNF synthesis reactor with a production capacity of 1 kg h⁻¹ and an autothermal polymer pyrolysis reactor for converting rejected polymers into synthetic gaseous and liquid products will be designed and developed. The synthesized CNFs will subsequently be incorporated as functional additives into recycled polymers using KWI’s proprietary KFusion™ technology, and the resulting composites will be characterized to assess improvements in their targeted mechanical and functional properties. Ultimately, the project aims to upcycle non-recyclable polymer waste into high-value carbon nanofilaments, creating a circular-value pathway in which CNFs enhance the performance of recycled polymer composites and enable KWI’s materials to meet the performance specifications required by its industrial partner, Soleno.

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