Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Review on the Thermochemical Treatment of Plastic Waste to Produce High Value Products for Different Applications

This review summarizes methods for converting plastic waste into valuable products using high-temperature chemical processes like pyrolysis and plasma technology. These approaches can produce hydrogen fuel, carbon nanotubes, and other useful materials from plastic that would otherwise become pollution. Reducing plastic waste through better recycling technology is important because most microplastic pollution originates from improperly managed plastic products.

2025 Materials Circular Economy 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards fuels production by a catalytic pyrolysis of a real mixture of post-consumer plastic waste

Researchers tested in-situ catalytic pyrolysis of a real mixed post-consumer plastic waste stream from mechanical-biological treatment facilities, producing a liquid fuel fraction with properties comparable to gasoline, kerosene, and diesel.

2023 Fuel 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrogen and Carbon Nanotubes from Pyrolysis-Catalysis of Waste Plastics: A Review

This review examines how pyrolysis of waste plastics coupled with steam reforming or catalytic processes can produce hydrogen gas and high-quality carbon nanotubes, covering different reactor designs and catalyst types. The work highlights waste plastics as a potentially valuable feedstock for generating both clean energy and advanced carbon materials.

2020 Waste and Biomass Valorization 241 citations
Article Tier 2

Carbon nanotubes production from real-world waste plastics and the pyrolysis behaviour

Researchers produced carbon nanotubes from real-world waste plastics through pyrolysis, characterizing the thermal decomposition behavior of mixed plastic waste and demonstrating a valuable upcycling pathway for plastic pollution.

2023 Waste Management 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Liquid fuel production from catalytic pyrolysis of municipal plastic waste using synthesized Zeolite from Kaolin

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it evaluates a catalytic pyrolysis process using zeolite from kaolin to convert municipal plastic waste into liquid fuel as an alternative energy source.

2023
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste Recycling, Applications, and Future Prospects for a Sustainable Environment

This review examines emerging plastic waste recycling strategies including microwave, plasma, and supercritical water conversion, highlighting applications in construction, fuel production, and nanomaterials for a circular economy.

2022 Sustainability 117 citations
Article Tier 2

Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of a real mixture of post-consumer plastic waste: An analysis of the gasoline-range product

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.

2022 Process Safety and Environmental Protection 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Progress in Low-Cost Catalysts for Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste to Fuels

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.

2021 Catalysts 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Recycling of Plastics by Microwave‐Assisted High‐Temperature Pyrolysis

Researchers developed a microwave-assisted high-temperature pyrolysis method that continuously breaks down mixed plastic waste and plant oil into useful chemicals like ethylene and propylene. This chemical recycling approach could help divert plastic waste from the environment while producing renewable building blocks for new materials.

2020 Global Challenges 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Catalytic pyrolysis of mixed plastic wastes using commercial grade kaolin and Ukpor clay from Nigeria

Researchers used local clay materials from Nigeria as low-cost catalysts to convert mixed plastic waste into liquid fuel through pyrolysis. The study demonstrates that waste plastic can be transformed into usable fuel using affordable, locally available materials — a practical recycling approach for developing regions.

2023 International Journal of Science and Research Archive 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic-derived substrate-grown carbon nanotubes as freestanding electrode for hydrogen evolution in alkaline media

Plastic waste was converted into carbon nanotubes via pyrolysis and used as a high-performance electrode for hydrogen production, demonstrating a circular economy pathway that transforms plastic pollution into a clean energy material.

2023
Article Tier 2

Rapid activation of microplastics by microwave heating in an aqueous phase: A novel approach for enhanced plastic recycling

Microwave heating was used to rapidly activate microplastics by partial oxidation, enhancing their subsequent degradation in catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) processes. Graphite particles and hydrogen peroxide during microwave treatment boosted MP reactivity, with aliphatic plastics activating more effectively than aromatic ones.

2024 Separation and Purification Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Upcycling Waste Plastics into Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composites via NiCo2O4 Catalytic Pyrolysis

Researchers used catalytic pyrolysis — heating plastic waste with metal catalysts — to convert post-consumer plastics into carbon nanotube composites, a high-value industrial material. Bimetallic nickel-cobalt catalysts produced the best results. This approach could help valorize plastic waste while reducing the volumes that end up in the environment as microplastic pollution.

2021 Catalysts 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent developments in catalytic materials and reactors for the catalytic pyrolysis of plastic waste into hydrogen: a critical review with a focus on the circular economy

This review examines recent developments in catalytic materials and reactor designs for converting plastic waste into hydrogen through pyrolysis. The study discusses how catalyst-assisted pyrolysis can transform plastic waste into valuable hydrogen fuel, contributing to circular economy goals while addressing the growing plastic pollution problem.

2025 RSC Advances 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pyrolysis over HZSM-5 zeolite and fluid catalytic cracking catalyst under ultra-fast heating

Researchers demonstrated that using induction heating — a fast, energy-efficient method — with catalysts can fully break down polyethylene and polypropylene plastics within 10 minutes, converting them into useful gases and liquid chemicals, offering a more economically viable recycling pathway than conventional plastic pyrolysis.

2022 Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Acidic Site-Controlled ZSM-5 Catalysts for Fast Molten-Phase Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste with Tunable Product Distribution

Researchers synthesized ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts with tunable acidity for converting plastic waste into useful fuels through catalytic pyrolysis. The optimized catalyst achieved nearly 100% conversion of high-density polyethylene at 450 degrees Celsius in just 19 minutes, with controllable product distribution between oils and gases. The study provides insights for designing efficient catalysts that could help address both plastic waste accumulation and energy recovery.

2025 Energy & Fuels 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation of high quality carbon nanotubes by catalytic pyrolysis of waste plastics using FeNi-based catalyst

Researchers developed a method to produce high-quality carbon nanotubes from waste polyethylene plastics using iron-nickel catalysts. The study found that varying the catalyst composition affected nanotube quality and yield, demonstrating a promising approach for converting plastic waste into valuable nanomaterials rather than allowing it to persist as pollution.

2024 Waste Management 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrocarbon Fractions from Thermolysis of Waste Plastics as Components of Engine Fuels

Researchers developed a thermolysis process to convert mixed plastic waste into liquid hydrocarbon fractions suitable for use as fuel additives. The process produced fuels with properties comparable to diesel components. Converting plastic waste into fuel is one approach to reducing the volume of plastic that ends up in the environment as microplastic pollution.

2021 Energies 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrothermal carbonization of plastic waste: A review of its potential in alternative energy applications

Researchers reviewed how hydrothermal carbonization — a process that converts materials into a coal-like substance using heat and water under pressure — can transform plastic waste into useful products like solid fuels, catalysts, and materials for energy storage devices. While the technology is promising, challenges like variable plastic feedstock quality and scaling up production must be addressed before widespread commercial use.

2023 Fuel Communications 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Economic feasibility of catalytic cracking of polymer waste for fuel production

This study analyzed the economic feasibility of catalytic cracking of polyethylene and polypropylene plastic waste to produce liquid fuel, finding that the process can be cost-competitive under certain conditions. Converting plastic waste into fuel reduces the amount that degrades into microplastics in the environment while generating economic value.

2023 Revista de Geografia
Article Tier 2

Impact of Metal Impregnation of Commercial Zeolites in the Catalytic Pyrolysis of Real Mixture of Post-Consumer Plastic Waste

This study tested the catalytic pyrolysis of real mixed post-consumer plastic waste using metal-impregnated commercial zeolites, finding that metal loading significantly influenced product yields and selectivity toward fuel-range hydrocarbons.

2024 Catalysts 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Transformation of Single‐Use Plastics into Lighter Hydrocarbons via an Economical Coal Fly Ash based Zeolite Catalyst

This study is not directly about microplastics — it focuses on using coal fly ash-derived zeolite catalysts to break down single-use plastic waste (LDPE) into lighter hydrocarbons via pyrolysis, a chemical recycling approach.

2023 ChemCatChem 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Fuel cell and electrolyzer using plastic waste directly as fuel

Researchers demonstrated an electrochemical cell that converts solid plastic waste directly into electricity or hydrogen gas without incineration or gasification, using an acidic solution to dissolve polyurethane at 100–200 °C and oxidize it at a porous carbon anode.

2019 Waste Management 33 citations
Article Tier 2

From waste to energy - Photocatalytic anaerobic degradation of microplastics to generate hydrogen

Researchers demonstrated that microplastic particles can serve as solid hydrogen sources in anaerobic photocatalytic reactions using titanium dioxide as a catalyst. This proof-of-concept converts plastic waste into clean hydrogen fuel while potentially reducing environmental microplastic loads.

2023