Converting plastic waste into valuable products mitigates plastic pollution and lowers the carbon footprint of naphtha-derived aromatics. However, the difficulties of precisely controlling complex multiphase systems and the catalyst inefficiencies hinder process viability. Here we report a vapour-phase hydrogenolysis strategy catalysed by Ru single atoms on Co3O4 (Ru-SA/Co3O4), decoupling depolymerization from hydrogenolysis to overcome the toluene yield-selectivity trade-off. In a pressurized dual-stage fixed-bed reactor, polystyrene undergoes hydropyrolysis at 475 degrees C, followed by vapour-phase hydrogenolysis at 275 degrees C (0.4 MPa H-2, 2.4 s), yielding toluene with 99% selectivity, 83.5 wt% yield and 1,320 mmol g(cat.)(-1) h(-1) rate. The Ru-SA/Co3O4 catalyst demonstrates excellent stability, maintaining >99% conversion and selectivity during 100 h continuous operation (turnover number 24,747), and effectively processes diverse real-world polystyrene wastes. Life-cycle assessment shows a 53% carbon footprint reduction over fossil-based methods, while techno-economic analysis estimates a competitive minimum selling price of US$0.61 kg(-1), below the US$1 kg(-1) industry benchmark.

The decarbonization of energy systems requires both clean fuel alternatives and sustainable materials for energy storage. This study explores catalytic graphitization of engineered pyrolysis bio-oil, a renewable, carbon-rich by-product of biomass conversion, to produce graphite for lithium-ion battery anodes and renewable hydrogen. Four engineered bio-oils derived from sawdust pyrolysis at 550 °C were evaluated at 1300 °C using reduced iron powder as a catalyst. Among these, heavy-phase filtered bio-oil (HFB) demonstrated superior graphitization efficiency, achieving a graphitization degree of 94.51% and generating a significant hydrogen yield of 5.25 g H<inf>2</inf>/100 g bio-oil. Compared to conventional synthetic graphite production, which relies on fossil coke and extreme temperatures (>2500 °C), this method significantly reduces energy demand and CO<inf>2</inf> emissions. A liquid–solid catalytic mechanism is proposed for the first time, enabling efficient carbon transformation and hydrogen release without the need for steam input. This work contributes to advancing circular bioeconomy strategies and highlights the role of biomass valorization in future sustainable energy systems.

Hard carbon (HC) is currently the predominant anode material for sodium-ion batteries; however, its practical application is still limited by insufficient initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) and plateau capacity. Meanwhile, conventional HC production relies on energy-intensive carbonization processes with considerable carbon emissions. Here, an induction heating carbonization strategy is developed for extruded biocarbon columns derived from biomass-based biochar and bio-oil, enabling simultaneous enhancement of electrochemical performance and production sustainability. Bio-oil combined with high-pressure extrusion suppresses open pores, whereas induction heating generates localized eddy currents and concentrated Joule heating that accelerate carbon rearrangement and promote closed pore formation. As a result, the closed-to-open pore volume ratio increases from 0.32 to 85.18, leading to improved ICE (95.0% vs. 84.4%) and plateau capacity ratio (77.6% vs. 64.7%) relative to conventional carbonized HC. Life-cycle assessment further indicates an approximately 35% reduction in global warming potential. Overall, this work presents an energy-efficient, low-emission route for producing high-performance HC anodes.

A continuous pyrolysis combined with an in-line biochar-catalytic reforming of the pyrolysis vapor was investigated in a comprehensive system consisting of an auger reactor and a downstream fixed-bed reactor. The effect of the weight hourly space velocity (WHSV), particle size and morphology of biochar, and the pressure drop of the biochar bed on the catalytic performance were discussed in this study. Results showed that lower WHSV, which allows longer residence time, led to higher syngas yield and increased H2+CO proportion. The use of the smallest biochar particles (0.6-1 mm) produced the highest syngas and H2 yields, correlating with the greatest pressure drops. Spherical and rounded biochar particle shape enhanced syngas and H2 yields, as well as H2+CO proportions, due to improved heat and mass transfer. A maximum of 12 mmol H2/g-biomass was achieved, with a dry gas yield of 0.68 Nm3/kg, comprising 39 vol % H2 and 27 vol % CO, at the use of pelletized biochar with a WHSV of 0.51. The used biochar demonstrated stable catalytic performance as a reforming catalyst in a 100-min test period.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are emerging as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their potential for efficient and sustainable energy storage. Thus, the demand for high-performance battery materials with a sustainable supply chain, particularly hard carbon (HC) as the primary anode material for SIBs, is rapidly increasing. This study focuses on enhancing the production and electrochemical performance of HC products by leveraging Sweden's abundant forestry resources and advanced biomass refining processes. Specifically, we propose a novel HC production process that compresses sawdust-derived biocarbon with bio-oil derived from the same pyrolysis process to produce HC with improved properties, where the bio-oil serves as both a binder and a surface engineering agent for the biocarbon. This approach effectively modifies surface defects, leading to increased initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE), reaching values of 90 % in half-cell tests. Moreover, laboratory measurements and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results quantified that this production method achieves nearly 50 % higher HC yields and reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 20 % compared to the conventional production method. As a result, this offers a potentially more sustainable and economically viable solution for advancing the SIB anode material production.

In this study, a comprehensive examination of commercial activated carbons and novel porous carbon materials derived from waste was conducted to evaluate their potential as bed materials in adsorption chillers driven by waste heat. The research uniquely focuses on synthesizing and analyzing sorbents from two distinct waste sources: lignin and excavated waste, aiming to expand the sustainable application of waste-derived materials. A thorough characterisation of the sorption properties was performed using mercury intrusion porosimetry, lowtemperature gas adsorption, and dynamic vapour sorption measurements with methanol. These techniques provided detailed insights into the microporous structure and surface areas of the materials, ranging from 500 to 2000 m2/g for the activated carbons. Notably, the lignin-derived magnetic biochar demonstrated an exceptionally well-developed surface area and superior sorption properties at operational conditions of 30 degrees C, reaching relative adsorption of 59.89 % at P/Po of 100 %-up to 70 % higher than that of commercially available activated carbons. This material's performance highlights its potential as a high-efficiency adsorbent in adsorption chillers, surpassing many commercially available options. However, the char obtained from excavated waste exhibited limitations due to high ash and heavy metal content (786 mg/kg Pb and 127 mg/kg Zn), suggesting challenges for its use in activated carbon synthesis. This study bridges a critical knowledge gap by exploring innovative pathways for utilizing waste-derived porous carbon materials in adsorption cooling, thus contributing to the development of sustainable, waste-based solutions for heat-driven cooling applications.

Producing sustainable anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) through catalytic graphitization of renewable biomass has gained significant attention. However, the technology is in its early stages due to the bio-graphite's comparatively low electrochemical performance in LIBs. This study aims to develop a process for producing LIB anode materials using a hybrid catalyst to enhance battery performance, along with readily available market biochar as the raw material. Results indicate that a trimetallic hybrid catalyst (Ni, Fe, and Mn in a 1:1:1 ratio) is superior to single or bimetallic catalysts in converting biochar to bio-graphite. The bio-graphite produced under this catalyst exhibits an 89.28% degree of graphitization and a 73.95% conversion rate. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) reveals the dissolution–precipitation mechanism involved in catalytic graphitization. Electrochemical performance evaluation showed that the trimetallic hybrid catalyst yielded bio-graphite with better electrochemical performances than those obtained through single or bimetallic hybrid catalysts, including a good reversible capacity of about 293 mAh g−1 at a current density of 20 mA/g and a stable cycle performance with a capacity retention of over 98% after 100 cycles. This study proves the synergistic efficacy of different metals in catalytic graphitization, impacting both graphite crystalline structure and electrochemical performance.

The global Sustainable Development Goals highlight the necessity for affordable and clean energy, designated as SDG7. A sustainable and feasible biorefinery concept is proposed for the carbon-negative utilization of biomass waste for affordable H2 and battery anode material production. Specifically, an innovative tandem biocarbon + NiAlO + biocarbon catalyst strategy is constructed to realize a complete reforming of biomass pyro-vapors into H2+CO (as a mixture). The solid residues from pyrolysis are upgraded into high-quality hard carbon (HCs), demonstrating potential as sodium ion battery (SIBs) anodes. The product, HC-1600-6h, exhibited great electrochemical performance when employed as (SIBs) anodes (full cell: 263 Wh/kg with ICE of 89%). Ultimately, a comprehensive process is designed, simulated, and evaluated. The process yields 75 kg H2, 169 kg HCs, and 891 kg captured CO2 per ton of biomass achieving approx. 100% carbon and hydrogen utilization efficiencies. A life cycle assessment estimates a biomass valorization process with negative-emissions (−0.81 kg CO2/kg-biomass, reliant on Sweden wind electricity). A techno-economic assessment forecasts a notably profitable process capable of co-producing affordable H2 and hard carbon battery anodes. The payback period of the process is projected to fall within two years, assuming reference prices of 13.7 €/kg for HCs and 5 €/kg for H2. The process contributes to a novel business paradigm for sustainable and commercially viable biorefinery process, achieving carbon-negative valorization of biomass waste into affordable energy and materials.

This study introduces a distributed electrified heating approach that is able to innovate chemical engineering involving endothermic reactions. It enables rapid and uniform heating of gaseous reactants, facilitating efficient conversion and high product selectivity at specific equilibrium. Demonstrated in catalyst-free CH4 pyrolysis, this approach achieves stable production of H2 (530 g h−1 L reactor−1) and carbon nanotube/fibers through 100% conversion of high-throughput CH4 at 1150 °C, surpassing the results obtained from many complex metal catalysts and high-temperature technologies. Additionally, in catalytic CH4 dry reforming, the distributed electrified heating using metallic monolith with unmodified Ni/MgO catalyst washcoat showcased excellent CH4 and CO2 conversion rates, and syngas production capacity. This innovative heating approach eliminates the need for elongated reactor tubes and external furnaces, promising an energy-concentrated and ultra-compact reactor design significantly smaller than traditional industrial systems, marking a significant advance towards more sustainable and efficient chemical engineering society.

Shape-anisotropic building blocks are vital in the creation of hierarchical materials in nature, as it enables directional alignment, property anisotropy and overall functionality improvement in biological materials. Likewise, the performance of carbonized superstructures could potentially be more precisely designed by using anisotropic building blocks. Lignin represents an important and sustainable alternative in the production of carbonized materials, which is due to its abundance and high carbon content (∼60%). However, to expand its utility, for producing carbonized shape-anisotropic materials, adequate synthesis and pyrolysis-protocols are essential. Here, a fractionated and acetylated Kraft lignin was used to successfully self-assemble shape-anisotropic microcapsules. Then a carbonization procedure (slow heating at 0.6 °C min−1), that retained the original shape-anisotropy after carbonization, was developed. The formation mechanism was discussed as a function of the heating rate. The overall strategy was template-free and the attained shape-anisotropies were well-defined and narrow in size distribution. This is a scalable route for achieving shape-anisotropic carbonized building blocks from lignin.