Renewable Aromatics from the Degradation of Polystyrene under Mild Conditions

A bimetallic FeCu/alumina catalyst was prepared and characterized. It showed excellent catalytic activity to quantitatively convert polystyrene (PS) into aromatics at low temperatures. A clear goldish yellow liquid was produced at 250 °C in a batch reactor without distillation. A liquid yield of 66% in an inert environment was achieved without the formation of coke and gas by-products. An exposure time of 90 min. and a catalyst loading of 200 mg were considered as an optimum condition to minimize the styrene re-polymerization. The gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis confirms that the primary products are styrene, ethylbenzene, cumene, toluene and α-methylstyrene.