【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】New achievement from Harbin Institute of Technology: producing carbon nanotubes from waste plastics

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New achievement from Harbin Institute of Technology: Carbon nanotubes produced from waste plastics 2026-03-23 16:54:29 Recently, a team led by Professors Shuai Yong and Zhang Yaning, along with Associate Professor Pan Ruming from the School of Energy Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, made significant progress in the field of recycling waste plastics. The team innovatively proposed an electromagnetic induction-based overall heating method that utilizes metal porous catalysts to achieve rapid volumetric heating of waste plastics as well as efficient catalytic pyrolysis conversion, thereby achieving the highest carbon recovery efficiency to date. The relevant findings were published in *National Science Review* under the title “Enhancing carbon nanotubes production from pyrolysis-catalysis of plastic waste through monolithic heating”. Plastic pollution is a global environmental challenge, and how to convert low-value plastic waste into materials with high added value is a cutting-edge scientific issue in the field of circular economy. To address the common issues associated with traditional electric heating, such as low energy efficiency and uneven reaction patterns, the team innovatively combined electromagnetic induction heating technology with metal porous catalysts. This approach enabled precise control and enhancement of the catalytic reaction process, significantly improving the heat and mass transfer efficiency within the reaction system, and thus providing a new technical pathway for the chemical recycling of waste plastics. The research team delved into the mechanism of action of different metal catalysts in the catalytic pyrolysis process, and clarified the regulatory role of catalyst interface properties on the nucleation and growth of carbon nanotubes, providing a theoretical basis for the design of high-performance catalysts. The prepared carbon nanotubes show great potential for applications in areas such as energy storage and heat management. Further technical and economic analyses indicate that this process has significant advantages, providing a feasible basis for the industrial development of waste plastic recycling. Associate Professor Pan Ruming is the first author of the paper; Yu Jie and Yang Youwei, doctoral students from the School of Energy Science and Engineering, along with Professor Ilman Nuran Zaini from Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia, are co-first authors. Professors Shuai Yong, Zhang Yaning, and Associate Professor Pan Ruming are co-corresponding authors of the paper. This research was supported by projects such as the **National Natural Science Foundation** and the **Key Research and Development Program**.