Upgrading Polyvinyl Chloride by ZnO-Assisted Solvothermal Dehalogenation

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) wastes have attracted significant concern in terms of the environment, economy, and health. Although there is considerable emphasis on the recycling of PVC waste, research on its upgrading conversion still faces great challenges. Here, a ZnO-assisted dehalogenation strategy under facile solvothermal conditions is demonstrated for upgrading PVC to high-value carbon materials. Chlorine content is reduced from ∼56.7 wt % (pristine PVC) to ∼1.7 wt %, removing ∼96.9% Cl. Besides, the total carbon residue rate of such a method reaches up to ∼75 at. %. For comparison, it is only ∼26 atom % for the direct pyrolysis of PVC, along with the corrosive HCl and highly toxic dioxins. The as-prepared carbon materials with porous structure, high-content sp2-C, and lamellar layers allow a faster kinetic rate of the Faraday reaction and promotes the ions diffusion between layers. As the anode of the lithium-ion battery, the optimal sample delivers 500.5 mAh g–1 at 125 mA g–1 and maintains a stable capacity of 150.6 mAh g–1 even at 6250 mA g–1. This work provides a promising strategy for upcycling PVC into high-value products.