Congratulations to Dr. Michael Jenks for an Excellent PhD Defense. Michael has successfully defended his PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Bert Weckhuysen, dr. F. Meirer and dr. I. Vollmer.

In his thesis, Michael studied various types of plastic produced and used in society today. His research examined different recycling techniques suited to recovering value from specific plastic types, with polypropylene (PP) being one of the most abundant yet difficult plastics to recycle. Through his work with chemical recycling, specifically catalytic pyrolysis, Michael investigated how to break down polymer chains into valuable products or intermediate products that can be further processed. His research examined how polymer samples react with catalyst materials in a reactor, where increasing temperatures cause the polymer to melt and react, producing shorter hydrocarbon chains that can be measured through gas chromatography. Michael focused on fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst, finding that discarded FCC catalyst outperformed fresh material due to metal deposits enhancing PP cracking. He designed a continuous throughput reactor for further industrial applications. Through his research, Michael concluded that while recycling options exist, reducing plastic production remains the most effective solution for minimizing plastic waste.

Michael’s PhD thesis is available to read here.