Back Cover: Sustainable Conversion of Microplastics to Methane with Ultrahigh Selectivity by a Biotic–Abiotic Hybrid Photocatalytic System (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 52/2022)

Abstract

Methanogen–semiconductor biohybrids drive the sustainable conversion of microplastics into CH4 under illumination, as reported by Shungui Zhou, Yujie Xiong, and co‐workers in their Research Article (e202213244). The biotic–abiotic hybrid system not only addresses a long‐standing challenge of photocatalysis by fully utilizing photogenerated electrons and holes without the need for unsustainable chemical sacrificial quenchers, but also provides clues for a better understanding of the global carbon cycle.

An Integrated Plasma–Photocatalytic System for Upcycling of Polyolefin Plastics

“…[1][2][3] Plastic waste and derived microplastics are invading the environment and even threatening human health, which has become a global issue of widespread concern. [4][5][6] To date, great efforts have been made for the treatment of plastic wastes, [7] including conventional methods such as landfill, incineration, and mechanical recycling, [8] as well as advanced methods that are being developed such as pyrolysis, [9,10] liquefaction, [11,12] gasification, [13,14] dissolution-based approaches, [15,16] biocatalysis, [17,18] and photocatalysis. [19][20][21] Upcycling of plastics is a promising route for plastic valorization as it can upgrade the plastic waste into valuable fuels, chemicals, or materials with additional value.…”

Artificial photosynthesis bringing new vigor into plastic wastes

“…Although solar-driven plastic conversion is still a nascent technology, as evidenced by only a few effective photocatalysts reported recently, such as TiO 2 , g-C 3 N 4 , and CdS, [29][30][31] it has sparked a widespread concern owing to the ambient operation conditions, less energy consumption, and the use of low-cost catalysts. As compared with the strategies, including thermocatalysis, incineration, mechanical reutilization, and landfill, photodriven plastic disposal possesses several unique advantages, including high product selectivity, less energy consumption, positive environmental impact, and considerable economic benefit (Figure 1).…”

Metal Oxides‐Based Nano/Microstructures for Photodegradation of Microplastics

“…The internal factors, related to the microplastic to be degraded, include the nature of the polymer, presence of additives, and chromophoric groups (carbonyl, hydroperoxide), while the external factors include the type and nature of metal oxide semiconductors, their band gap, surface area and morphology, the presence of other derivatives in addition to metal oxide, the nature of solvents, the intensity of light, temperature, pH, etc. [32,33] Over the past few years, the degradation of microplastics has been the subject of numerous reviews. The advancements made for the breakdown of microplastics by biodegradation or catalyticchemical degradation were highlighted by Zhou et al [12] Zurier and Goddard [10] addressed the involvement of microorganisms in microplastic biodegradation by enzymatic depolymerization.…”

“…The internal factors, related to the microplastic to be degraded, include the nature of the polymer, presence of additives, and chromophoric groups (carbonyl, hydroperoxide), while the external factors include the type and nature of metal oxide semiconductors, their band gap, surface area and morphology, the presence of other derivatives in addition to metal oxide, the nature of solvents, the intensity of light, temperature, pH, etc. [ 32,33 ]…”