Dr. Sophie van Vreeswijk, a postdoctoral researcher at the Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group of Utrecht University, has received a VIRAN poster prize at the 2026 edition of the Netherlands’ Catalysis and Chemistry Conference (NCCC XXVII) held March 2-4 in Noordwijkerhout.
The poster presents Van Vreeswijk’s research on platinum-based zeolites as bifunctional catalysts for the depolymerisation of polyethylene. She tested zeolites ZSM-5 and Y as such catalysts, and concludes that ZSM-5 has the better performance. This is due to the formation of platinum nanoparticles at the outer surface of the ZSM-5 crystals, leaving the crystal structure and acid sites relatively intact. In the depolymerisation of polyethylene, the catalyst yields paraffins at low temperatures and both paraffins and aromatics at higher temperatures.
Click the poster to enlarge, or download the PDF here.
The selection of the poster prize was made by VIRAN participants at the conference based on the following criteria:
- clear message and conclusions;
- visually appealing;
- a good balance between text and figures; and
- enthusiasm during presentation of the poster and answering questions.
