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Catalysis for the Upcycling of Polymers
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This review surveys catalytic strategies — including heterogeneous, biocatalytic, and electrochemical approaches — for breaking down waste plastics into high-value chemicals and raw materials, presenting an overview of how these upcycling technologies address the growing challenge of plastic waste disposal and resource recovery.
Plastics are essential in contemporary society for their durability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. However, the ever-mounting prevalence of plastic waste has become a major concern, as plastics lose their value once their initial purpose is fulfilled. Moreover, their resilience and resistance to natural breakdown create significant disposal challenges, posing risks to the environment. Therefore, initiatives are underway to reduce improper plastic disposal and to effectively recycle polymer waste through upcycling efforts. In this context, the global scientific community is increasingly focusing on catalytic processes to break down plastic-based polymers into high-value products and chemical raw materials, effectively converting waste plastics into valuable resources. Various catalytic strategies, including heterogeneous catalysis, biocatalysis, and electrochemical catalysis, are being explored. This chapter presents a comprehensive account of the latest developments in catalytic technologies for plastic treatment, examining both the structural breakdown of plastic macromolecules and the mechanisms underlying the various catalytic processes.
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Researchers reviewed chemical recycling and upcycling technologies for plastic waste, concluding that these approaches — including pyrolysis, gasification, and solvolysis — offer more effective and scalable solutions than landfilling or incineration by recovering valuable feedstocks from otherwise difficult-to-recycle polymers.
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Researchers reviewed catalytic approaches to breaking down plastic waste — including homogeneous, heterogeneous, biocatalytic, photocatalytic, and plasma-assisted methods — cataloguing the mechanistic pathways, catalyst design strategies, and emerging technologies needed to convert polyethylene, polystyrene, PET, and polypropylene into reusable monomers and fuels.
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Plastic waste is piling up faster than we can deal with it, and that's a problem since it can break down into microplastics that pollute our water, food, and even our bodies. This review rounds up cutting-edge lab techniques—like using special chemical catalysts, light, electricity, and even microwaves—that can break old plastic down and rebuild it into valuable new materials instead of letting it sit in landfills or oceans. While these methods are still being refined for large-scale use, they offer a promising path toward turning plastic trash into useful products, which could ultimately reduce the plastic pollution that threatens both the environment and human health.
From Plastic Waste to Treasure: Selective Upcycling through Catalytic Technologies
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Researchers review recent advances in catalytic technologies—including thermocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis—for upcycling plastic waste into valuable chemicals, highlighting how selective bond activation can convert what would otherwise be waste into high-value products.
Advanced Catalytic Strategies for Plastic Depolymerization: Mechanistic Insights, Catalyst Engineering, and Sustainable Upcycling Pathways
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Researchers reviewed the full landscape of catalytic plastic depolymerization strategies — homogeneous, heterogeneous, biocatalytic, photocatalytic, and pyrocatalytic — assessing how nanostructured materials, metal-organic frameworks, enzyme engineering, and emerging plasma or electrocatalytic methods can convert waste polymers into reusable monomers and fuels.
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