Bifunctional zeolite catalysts have been demonstrated to depolymerise polyolefins via hydrocracking, and this work aims to replace expensive and earth-scarce precious metals such as platinum and palladium with earth abundant transition metal chalcogenides. Nickel sulfide, a common hydrocracking and hydrotreating catalyst for petroleum refining, was synthesized from the single source precursor (SSP) nickel (II) ethyl xanthate. This is a novel application of this synthesis method to supported catalysts, which are traditionally created by wet impregnation of aqueous nickel salts, followed by high temperature sulfidation using H2S, a flammable and highly toxic gas. Avoiding the use of hazardous reagents is another motivating factor in this research.
Aleksander Tedstone