Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39901800›Full record

ArticleLangmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids2025

Anionic Surfactants from Reactive Separation of Hydrocarbons Derived from Polyethylene Upcycling.

Yu-Hsuan Lee, Alexandra Heuston, Enze Jin, Jiakai Sun, Xichen Liang, Yangying Zhu, Matthew E Helgeson, Eric Masanet, Susannah L Scott, Mahdi M Abu-Omar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Contaminant-Tolerant Conversion of Polyethylene Waste to α‑Olefins.ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Yu-Hsuan LeeDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, United States.
Alexandra HeustonDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, United States.
Enze JinBren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5131, United States.
Jiakai SunDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, United States.
Xichen LiangDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Engineering II Building, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5080, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-6781-8865
Yangying ZhuDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Engineering II, Room 2355, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5070, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9185-3161
Matthew E HelgesonDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Engineering II Building, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5080, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9384-4023
Eric MasanetBren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5131, United States.
Susannah L ScottDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-1161-0499
Mahdi M Abu-OmarDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-4412-1985

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chemical upcycling of polyethylene (PE) to long-chain alkylaromatics through tandem hydrocracking/aromatization has potential to provide value-added chemicals. However, the liquid product is a complex mixture of alkanes, alkylbenzenes, and polyaromatics, limiting its direct usability. The most valuable component of the product mixture is the alkylbenzenes because of their potential as precursors to anionic surfactants. In this study, a one-pot reactive separation is described. Sulfonating the product mixture from PE upcycling with silica sulfuric acid followed by neutralization with sodium hydroxide yields sodium alkylbenzenesulfonates (up to 93 mol % selectivity), along with a separate phase of lubricant-range hydrocarbons as a coproduct. Compared to petroleum-based sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonates, the reported PE-derived surfactant molecules show competitive physicochemical properties, including surface tension and interfacial tension. According to life cycle assessment, the described reaction strategy demonstrates 20% lower greenhouse gas emissions, when considering uses for the coproducts of PE upcycling, compared to conventional linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LAS) manufacturing directly from petrochemical feedstocks.

Identifiers

PMID39901800
PMCPMC11841028

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.