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Pyrolysis of the Plastics: Catalysts, Product Applications, and Techno-economic Assessment
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This review examines pyrolysis as a method to convert common plastic waste (PET, PE, PVC, PP, PS) into fuels and chemicals, analyzing reaction mechanisms and catalysts including zeolites and clays. A techno-economic assessment outlines how catalytic pyrolysis, despite requiring post-processing, can integrate into a circular economy by producing valuable liquid hydrocarbons and energy-generating gases.
The growing plastic waste problem and dwindling fossil resources highlight pyrolysis as a promising method to convert plastics into fuels and valuable chemicals. This review explores the pyrolysis of common plastics (PET, PE, PVC, PP, PS) and their mixtures, focusing on reaction mechanisms and product outputs. Catalytic pyrolysis using zeolites, clays, and alkali catalysts improves efficiency over thermal cracking by breaking polymer bonds more effectively. Although it yields useful liquid hydrocarbons, further processing—like distillation and hydrogenation—is needed to meet fuel standards. Gases produced can be used for energy or converted into products like ethylene and carbon nanotubes. A techno-economic analysis addresses feedstock, co-products, and costs, outlining a path to incorporate pyrolysis into a circular economy, promoting both sustainability and economic value.
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Recent Progress in Low-Cost Catalysts for Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste to Fuels
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This review evaluated low-cost catalysts — including zeolites, clays, and bimetallic materials — for the pyrolytic conversion of plastic waste into fuel, comparing their effects on product yield and quality and highlighting promising candidates for scaling up plastic-to-fuel processes.
A review on catalytic pyrolysis of municipal plastic waste
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This review describes catalytic pyrolysis of plastic waste as a sustainable alternative to landfilling and incineration, detailing the steps required for an operational pyrolysis plant and reviewing recent advancements in catalyst selection. Products including fuels and chemical feedstocks can be recovered from non-recyclable plastic waste, supporting circular economy objectives.
Thermochemical Conversion of Plastic Waste into Fuels, Chemicals, and Value‐Added Materials: A Critical Review and Outlooks
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Researchers critically reviewed thermochemical conversion pathways—pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal liquefaction—for plastic waste, concluding that while each method shows promise for producing fuels and chemicals, feedstock heterogeneity and catalyst deactivation remain key barriers to commercial scale-up.
The pyrolysis methods in the transformation of waste plastics for obtaining fuels, a literature review
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This literature review examines pyrolysis as a method to convert plastic waste — particularly polyethylene — into fuel, finding that fixed-bed pyrolysis using zeolite catalysts at 450–550°C is most effective, yielding 60–85% liquid fuel fractions and offering a viable strategy for reducing plastic pollution while generating usable energy.
Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of a real mixture of post-consumer plastic waste: An analysis of the gasoline-range product
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Researchers performed thermal and catalytic pyrolysis on real post-consumer plastic waste mixtures using various catalysts, finding that polymer type strongly influenced gas, liquid, and char yields, and that zeolite catalysts produced gasoline-range hydrocarbon liquids with commercially viable compositions from mixed plastic feedstocks.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.