Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Photochemical Aerobic Upcycling of Polystyrene Plastics

Researchers developed a new light-driven chemical method to convert polystyrene plastic waste -- including microplastics and nanoplastics -- into benzoic acid, a useful industrial chemical. While this is primarily a recycling breakthrough rather than a health study, converting plastic waste into valuable products could help reduce the amount of microplastic pollution that ends up in food and water.

2024 ChemSusChem 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoreforming of Nonrecyclable Plastic Waste over a Carbon Nitride/Nickel Phosphide Catalyst

A carbon nitride/nickel phosphide photocatalyst was used to photoreform non-recyclable PET and PLA plastic waste at ambient temperature, producing clean hydrogen fuel and organic chemicals without precious metals or toxic components. The study demonstrates a low-energy, scalable approach to converting plastic waste into valuable chemical feedstocks using sunlight.

2019 Journal of the American Chemical Society 632 citations
Article Tier 2

Renewable aromatics from the degradation of polystyrene under mild conditions

Researchers developed a bimetallic iron-copper catalyst that breaks down polystyrene plastic into useful aromatic chemicals at just 250°C, producing a liquid yield of 66% without coke or gas waste. This low-temperature method offers a promising way to convert polystyrene waste into valuable raw materials for industry.

2017 Journal of Saudi Chemical Society 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Photocatalytic H2O2 Production Ability of a Novel Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Carbon Composites under Visible Light

Researchers developed a novel graphitic carbon nitride/carbon composite synthesized from microplastics and melamine that achieves high-rate photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production under visible light, demonstrating a way to upcycle plastic waste into useful photocatalysts.

2023 Small 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Visible-Light-DrivenPhotocatalytic Hydrogen Productionfrom Polystyrene Nanoplastics Using Pd/TiO2 Nanoparticles

Researchers developed a palladium-modified titanium dioxide photocatalyst that degrades polystyrene nanoplastics under visible light while simultaneously producing green hydrogen, finding that the plastic itself was necessary as a fuel source for hydrogen evolution.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as an emerging photocatalyst for sustainable environmental applications: a comprehensive review

This review covers graphitic carbon nitride, a material that can break down pollutants using light energy through a process called photocatalysis. While not directly about microplastics, this technology could potentially be applied to degrade microplastics in water using sunlight. The review discusses how the material works, its current applications for cleaning up environmental pollution, and future directions for this sustainable technology.

2023 RSC Sustainability 246 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Degradation of Plastic

This review examines photocatalytic degradation as a method for breaking down plastic waste using light-activated chemical reactions. Photocatalytic approaches could offer a way to degrade both plastic debris and microplastics already present in the environment without generating toxic byproducts.

2021 Materials research foundations 5 citations
Article Tier 2

State-of-the-Art Achievements and Challenges in Photochemical Conversion of Plastics to Chemicals and Composites

This review covers photochemical methods for converting plastic waste into value-added chemicals and composite materials, examining both the chemistry of photooxidation and recent advances in converting plastic streams into useful products rather than disposing of them.

2025 Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

State of the art in the photochemical degradation of (micro)plastics: from fundamental principles to catalysts and applications

This review summarizes research on the photochemical degradation of plastics and microplastics into value-added products and intermediates via photocatalysis. The study covers fundamental principles and catalytic approaches for breaking down plastic pollutants that are otherwise difficult to degrade in the environment.

2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry A 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Graphitic Carbon Nitride Embedded Bio-Based Acrylic Films as Surface Active Photocatalysts

Researchers developed bio-based acrylic films embedded with graphitic carbon nitride as photocatalytic surface coatings, testing their ability to degrade organic pollutants when activated by light. The films showed effective photocatalytic degradation while maintaining biodegradable properties.

2024 Polymer science & technology. 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Oxygen vacancy mediated oxidative reforming of polylactic acid to hydrocarbon

Researchers developed a method to convert polylactic acid, a common biodegradable plastic, into valuable hydrocarbon chemicals using a singlet oxygen-driven catalytic process. The approach uses copper-magnesium co-doped nickel sulfides with oxygen vacancies to selectively break down PLA at specific chemical bonds. Techno-economic and life cycle analyses suggest the process could reduce carbon emissions while providing favorable economic returns, offering a potential solution for recycling biodegradable plastic waste.

2025 Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanomaterials for Advanced Photocatalytic Plastic Conversion

This review examines the use of nanomaterials for photocatalytic conversion of waste plastics into useful chemicals and fuels, highlighting approaches that use sunlight as an energy source under ambient conditions. Photocatalytic upcycling of plastic waste offers a potentially sustainable alternative to conventional thermal and chemical recycling methods.

2023 Molecules 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Upcycling of Plastic Waste: Mechanism, Integrating Modus, and Selectivity

This review examines how photocatalysis, a process that uses light energy to drive chemical reactions, can transform plastic waste into useful products under mild and environmentally friendly conditions. Researchers compared photocatalytic approaches with other methods like heat-based and electrical catalysis, and explored how different experimental setups influence what end products are created. The study suggests that photocatalytic upcycling of plastics is a promising green technology, though challenges remain in improving efficiency and selectivity.

2023 Small Structures 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of polystyrene plastics by alkane monooxygenase and alcohol dehydrogenase

Researchers investigated the ability of alkane monooxygenase and alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes to degrade polystyrene plastics, identifying a microbial enzymatic pathway capable of breaking down this highly persistent polymer that ranks among the six most commercially important plastics worldwide.

2024 Global NEST Journal
Article Tier 2

Base- or acid-assisted polystyrene plastic degradation in supercritical CO2

Researchers demonstrated that polystyrene plastic can be chemically degraded in supercritical CO₂ at 400°C when assisted by base or acid solutions, finding the process converts PS into hydrogen-rich gases and could offer a feasible route for disposing of plastic waste.

2023 Waste Disposal & Sustainable Energy 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainability-driven photocatalysis: oxygen-doped g-C3N4 for organic contaminant degradation

This paper is not about microplastics. It discusses oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride as a photocatalyst for degrading organic contaminants in water, focusing on the material's enhanced charge carrier properties. While photocatalytic degradation could theoretically be applied to plastic pollutants, this study addresses general organic contaminant removal rather than microplastic pollution.

2023 RSC Sustainability 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Generation of Singlet Oxygen by Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Antibacterial Applications

This study developed graphitic carbon nitride photocatalysts for generating singlet oxygen as an antimicrobial agent, evaluating their effectiveness against pathogens in water treatment and assessing potential for co-degradation of microplastics.

2024 Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production from Polystyrene Nanoplastics Using Pd/TiO2 Nanoparticles

Researchers developed a light-driven photocatalyst using palladium on titanium dioxide nanoparticles that can simultaneously break down polystyrene nanoplastics and produce hydrogen gas. The best-performing catalyst generated significant hydrogen output while also reducing the size of the plastic particles. The study demonstrates a dual-benefit approach that could address nanoplastic water pollution while generating clean energy.

2025 ACS Applied Nano Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

H2 Production from Real Wastes of Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polylactic Acid using CNx/Ni2P Nanocatalyst

Researchers developed a photocatalytic process using a novel nanocatalyst to convert real plastic waste from PET bottles and PLA bioplastics into hydrogen gas. The process achieved maximum hydrogen yields of 124 and 267 micromol per gram for PET and PLA respectively, offering a dual benefit of plastic waste valorization and clean energy production.

2023 International Journal of Clinical Case Reports and Reviews 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic processes as a potential solution for plastic waste management

This review examined photocatalytic processes as a promising strategy for plastic waste degradation, discussing how embedding photocatalysts during production could enhance biodegradability and how they can treat non-biodegradable plastics during waste management.

2023 Polymer Degradation and Stability 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutants to Products: A Tailored Multicomponent Photocatalyst for Simultaneous CO 2 and Plastic Waste Conversion

Researchers developed a photocatalyst that simultaneously converts CO2 and PET plastic waste into useful chemicals (CO, methane, ethylene glycol) using only light, with CO2 reduced at over 95% selectivity. The dual-use design eliminates the need for chemical sacrificial agents by using plastic as the electron donor for CO2 reduction. Beyond plastic recycling, the system also suggests a pathway for degrading microplastics, offering a single solar-driven process that tackles two major pollution problems at once.

2026 Small
Article Tier 2

Light-driven polymer recycling to monomers and small molecules

Researchers reviewed how sunlight can be harnessed to chemically break down plastic waste into reusable molecules, offering a lower-energy alternative to heat-based recycling methods like pyrolysis. While still limited to certain plastic types, light-driven recycling shows promise for converting hard-to-recycle plastics into valuable chemical building blocks.

2024 Nature Communications 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Visible light driven degradation of BPA and LDPE microplastic films using GO/SCN nanocomposite

Researchers developed a graphene oxide and sulfur-doped carbon nitride nanocomposite capable of degrading both bisphenol A and low-density polyethylene microplastic films under visible light. The material achieved a 21% weight loss in LDPE films after 10 days of irradiation, along with significant surface changes. The study presents a photocatalytic approach for simultaneously breaking down microplastics and harmful organic pollutants in water using sunlight.

2024 RSC Advances 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Green synthesis of Platinum Nanoparticle from Citrus limon and their Photocatalytic Degradation of Polystyrene

Researchers synthesized platinum nanoparticles from lemon peel extract and tested their ability to photocatalytically degrade polystyrene over 100 hours under sunlight, demonstrating a green, cost-effective approach to plastic degradation.

2025 South Asian Journal of Experimental Biology