Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41104662›Full record

ArticleAngewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)2025

Upcycling of Waste Plastics into Carboxylic Acids for Biodegradable Surfactants.

Houqian Li, Brandon W Tipton, Hesham Aboukeila, Enner A Mendoza, Abdulrahman Alzailaie, Tianwei Yan, Clark R Landis, Javen S Weston, Brian P Grady, George W Huber

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Upcycling of Waste Plastics into Carboxylic Acids for Biodegradable Surfactants.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2025
    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.

Houqian LiDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0192-6780
Brandon W TiptonDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Hesham AboukeilaSchool of Sustainable Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5541-7204
Enner A MendozaDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1460-5083
Abdulrahman AlzailaieDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Tianwei YanDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Clark R LandisDepartment of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Javen S WestonDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA.
Brian P GradySchool of Sustainable Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA.
George W HuberDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7838-6893

Funding

Bioenergy Technologies Office DEEE0009285National Science Foundation 2216074Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyU.S. Department of Energy
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This work outlines a process for producing high-purity (>95%) carboxylate surfactants from post-consumer recycled high-density polyethylene (PCR-HDPE). The approach involves the thermal depolymerization of PCR-HDPE via pyrolysis, followed by fractional distillation to isolate C9-C14 olefins. These olefins undergo hydroformylation using cobalt carbonyl catalysts to generate aldehydes, which are subsequently oxidized to carboxylic acids using Pinnick oxidation under mild aqueous-phase conditions. Neutralization of the resulting carboxylic acids with sodium hydroxide produces plastic-derived carboxylate surfactants (PDCs) in the form of sodium carboxylates. Subsequent purification steps ensure surfactant-grade purity and enable accurate assessment of physicochemical properties. The resulting PDCs are evaluated for critical micelle concentration (CMC), foamability, surface tension reduction, and calcium ion tolerance, demonstrating competitive behavior with conventional anionic carboxylate surfactants. This route provides a sustainable alternative for surfactant production, reducing reliance on fossil-derived feedstocks and valorizing plastic waste streams through chemical upcycling.

Indexed as

Biodegradable surfactantsHydroformylationOxidationProcess developmentWaste plastics

Identifiers

PMID41104662
PMCPMC12684362

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.