Papers

61,005 results
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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

Upcycling of polyethylene to gasoline through a self-supplied hydrogen strategy in a layered self-pillared zeolite

Researchers developed a special zeolite material (a porous mineral catalyst) that converts polyethylene plastic waste into high-quality gasoline with over 80% yield, without needing expensive metals or added hydrogen. This breakthrough offers a practical pathway for recycling one of the most common plastics into usable fuel, potentially reducing plastic waste and reliance on fossil fuel extraction.

2024 Nature Chemistry 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Interfacial configurational entropy tuning strategy enabling liquid alloys for efficient depolymerization of polyolefin waste

Scientists developed a new metal catalyst that can break down plastic waste into useful chemicals without needing high pressure or extra materials. This breakthrough could help solve our growing plastic pollution problem by turning old plastic containers and bags into raw materials for new products. While this research focuses on recycling plastic waste, reducing plastic pollution could eventually help decrease the tiny plastic particles that end up in our food and water.

2026 Nature Communications
Article Tier 2

Plastic regulates its co-pyrolysis process with biomass: Influencing factors, model calculations, and mechanisms

Researchers investigated co-pyrolysis of plastics and biomass, finding that varying the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of biomass feedstocks influences synergistic effects on bio-oil quality, offering a strategy to improve plastic waste valorization.

2022 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimisation of Process Parameters to Maximise the Oil Yield from Pyrolysis of Mixed Waste Plastics

Researchers optimized the process parameters for thermal pyrolysis of mixed waste plastics to maximize oil yield from HDPE, polypropylene, and polystyrene. The study used response surface methodology to identify ideal conditions for converting plastic waste into pyrolytic oil, supporting chemical recycling as a strategy to reduce plastic pollution.

2024 Sustainability 18 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

Co-Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste and Lignin: A Pathway for Enhanced Hydrocarbon Recovery

Researchers investigated co-pyrolysis of plastic waste (polypropylene, polyethylene) with lignin biomass at various ratios and temperatures to recover valuable hydrocarbons. They found that mixing plastics with lignin enhanced the recovery of higher-value chemical products, with the best results at 600 degrees Celsius using polyethylene-lignin mixtures. The study demonstrates a pathway for converting both plastic and biomass waste into useful chemical feedstocks, potentially reducing plastic pollution.

2025 Energies 6 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

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

Catalytic pyrolysis of waste polypropylene using low-cost natural catalysts

Researchers tested three low-cost natural minerals — kaolin, hematite, and white sand — as catalysts for converting waste polypropylene plastic into fuel oil through a heating process called pyrolysis. Kaolin performed best, boosting oil yield to over 80% and producing higher-quality lighter oils at a cost of just $0.28 per kilogram, offering a cheap way to turn plastic waste into usable fuel.

2023 Scientific Reports 25 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

Preparation and physicochemical characterization of cracking oil from waste plastics

Researchers systematically explored the preparation process and physicochemical properties of cracking oil derived from municipal solid waste plastics. Using characterization techniques including spectroscopy, the study examined the composition and properties of waste plastic cracking oil to inform its potential as a recovered fuel or feedstock.

2025 Advances in Engineering Research Possibilities and Challenges
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

Review and Design Overview of Plastic Waste-to-Pyrolysis Oil Conversion with Implications on the Energy Transition

This review analyzes the process of converting plastic waste into usable oil through pyrolysis, a thermal breakdown process conducted without oxygen. Researchers found that plastic waste has energy content comparable to conventional fuel oil, making pyrolysis an attractive waste-management and energy-recovery option. The study discusses the technical design considerations and suggests that scaling up this technology could contribute to both reducing plastic pollution and supporting the energy transition.

2023 Journal of Energy 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Conversion of Polyolefin Waste Into Fuels and Other Valuable Products by Hydrothermal Processing

This research explored ways to convert plastic waste, including polyolefins like polyethylene and polypropylene, into usable fuels and other valuable products through hydrothermal processing. Finding efficient recycling pathways is critical given that only 9% of the 350 million tons of plastic waste generated annually is currently recycled.

2021 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Co-Pyrolysis of Polypropylene with Triacylglycerol-Based Waste Biomass to Obtain Sustainable Hydrocarbons

Despite its title referencing polypropylene co-pyrolysis, this paper studies the thermal breakdown of polypropylene plastic waste combined with biodiesel industry byproducts to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels — not microplastic pollution. It examines chemical product yields from waste-to-fuel conversion, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2025 Sustainable Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrochemical oxidation of polyethylene microplastics: from efficient removal to sustainable valorization

Scientists developed a new method that can remove up to 98% of tiny plastic particles from water in just three hours using a special electrical process. Instead of just destroying the plastic waste, this technique turns it into useful chemicals like acids that can be used to make other products. This breakthrough could help clean up plastic pollution in our water while also creating a way to recycle plastic waste into valuable materials.

2026 Journal of Applied Electrochemistry
Article Tier 2

Process Optimization of Solvents Assisted Polyethylene Waste Recycling

Researchers optimized solvent-based chemical recycling of polyethylene plastic waste to recover high-quality recycled material. The study demonstrates that chemical recycling can be tuned to maximize yield and quality, offering a scalable alternative to mechanical recycling that degrades plastic properties over time.

2023 FUDMA Journal of Sciences 2 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

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

Characterization of Energy-Relevant Liquid Products from Vacuum Pyrolysis of HDPE Microplastic

Billions of tonnes of plastic waste, including HDPE microplastics, could potentially be converted back into liquid fuels through a process called pyrolysis. This study tested vacuum pyrolysis of HDPE microplastics at 550°C and characterized the resulting oil, finding it is dominated by alkanes and alkenes similar to light petroleum — suggesting real potential as an alternative fuel or chemical feedstock. While plastic-to-fuel pyrolysis is not a complete solution to the microplastics crisis, this work contributes to understanding the technical feasibility of one pathway for recovering value from plastic waste.

2026 Energy & Fuels
Article Tier 2

An Integrated Pyrolysis Approach for Hydrogen Production and Microplastic Elimination from Sewage Sludge Experimental and Analytical Perspectives [dataset]

Scientists found a way to remove tiny plastic particles called microplastics from sewage sludge (waste from water treatment plants) while also producing clean hydrogen fuel. The high-heat process completely eliminated microplastics that were present in the sludge, which is important because these tiny plastics can contaminate our soil and water when sewage sludge is used as fertilizer. This technique could help protect our environment from plastic pollution while creating renewable energy at the same time.

2026 Durham Research Online (Durham University)
Article Tier 2

Conversion of Polyethylene to Low-Molecular-Weight Oil Products at Moderate Temperatures Using Nickel/Zeolite Nanocatalysts

Incorporating small nickel nanoparticles into zeolite catalysts allowed polyethylene — the world's most widely used plastic — to be broken down into useful low-molecular-weight oils at 350 °C, compared to the 400 °C required without a catalyst. This lower-temperature catalytic process offers a more energy-efficient route to upcycling plastic waste and reducing microplastic pollution from discarded packaging.

2024 Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A Multi-Streamline Approach for Upcycling PET into a Biodiesel and Asphalt Modifier

Researchers developed a multi-stream process to upcycle PET plastic waste into biodiesel precursors and asphalt modifiers. The soluble fraction served as a carbon source for microbial fermentation to produce lipids, while the insoluble fraction was used as an asphalt additive, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to converting plastic waste into valuable products.

2024 Polymers 3 citations