Beyond Hydroconversion: A Paradigm Shift for Sustainable Plastic Waste Upcycling
Haokun Wang, Yiyang Li, Shik Chi Edman Tsang
Abstract
Plastics are indispensable to modern society, with global production exceeding 400 million metric tons in 2023. 1 By 2050, this figure is projected to surpass 500 million metric tons, potentially consuming 10-13% of the remaining global carbon budget necessary to mitigate climate change. 2Despite their ubiquity, plastic waste management remains highly inefficient, with only 9% of discarded plastics being effectively recycled. 3onventional disposal methods-incineration and landfillingcontinue to drive environmental pollution and resource depletion. 4raditional recycling methods, particularly mechanical recycling, suffer from downcycling, wherein recycled plastics exhibit inferior properties, limiting their reuse in high-performance applications. 5Chemical recycling techniques, such as pyrolysis and gasification, provide an alternative but require high energy inputs and often yield complex mixtures of low-value hydrocarbons, constraining their economic and industrial feasibility. 6gainst this backdrop, catalytic plastic upcycling has emerged as a promising strategy, enabling the selective transformation of plastic waste into high-value chemicals, monomers, and hydrocarbons under relatively mild conditions.Among these, hydroconversion (e.g., hydrocracking and hydrogenolysis) has attracted significant interests due to its ability to • Operate at moderate temperatures (∼200-300 °C), reducing energy consumption.• Yield valuable hydrocarbons, such as naphtha, gasoline, diesel, and lubricants.