From 10 to 25 September 2026, Dr Eng. Łukasz Korzeniowski returned to Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) to complete the second part of his research visit carried out within the CUPOLA project, Carbon-neutral pathways of recycling marine plastic waste. The stay continued the cooperation with the research group led by Professor Chunfei Wu and focused on further development of process simulation approaches for the thermochemical conversion of marine-derived plastic waste.
During this stage of the visit, Dr Korzeniowski continued his work on Aspen-based modelling of pyrolysis processes, building on the results obtained during his earlier stay at QUB. Particular attention was given to the pyrolysis of waste polyolefins of marine origin, which represent an important fraction of plastic waste entering aquatic and coastal environments.
The main objective of the second part of the visit was to combine process simulation with an initial techno-economic assessment of the proposed pyrolysis route.
This integrated approach makes it possible to assess more comprehensively whether pyrolysis of marine-derived waste polyolefins could provide a technically viable and economically justified pathway for plastic waste valorisation. The analysis also supports the identification of key factors affecting process efficiency, energy demand, operating costs and the potential for future scale-up.
The second stay at QUB further strengthened the scientific cooperation established during the first research visit. Continued discussions with Professor Wu’s team allowed Dr Korzeniowski to expand his expertise in Aspen-based process modelling and to broaden the research towards a more comprehensive evaluation of thermochemical recycling technologies. The combined technical and economic assessment represents an important step towards evaluating the potential of marine plastic pyrolysis within a circular and low-carbon economy.
Leave a comment