Photocatalysis as an Effective Tool for Upcycling Polymers into Value‐Added Molecules

Abstract

Shaping a sustainable future is closely tied to the development of advanced plastic recycling technologies. As global recycling rates remain low, the lion's share of post‐consumer plastics is either incinerated or disposed of in landfills. This unbalanced plastic waste management not only poses severe environmental risks, but also entails an irrevocable loss of chemical resources that are embedded in synthetic polymers. To give plastic waste a new life, a series of photocatalytic methods has recently been reported that convert polymers directly into value‐added organic molecules. These approaches operate at ambient temperature, show high reactivity/selectivity, and provide alternative reaction pathways as compared to thermal depolymerizations. This Minireview highlights the scientific breakthroughs in upcycling polymers through state‐of‐the‐art photocatalysis under environmentally benign conditions.

Catalytic degradation of a thermosetting unsaturated polyester via a green coupled acid catalytic system

“…Plastic waste containing thermosetting resin and thermoplastic resin has become a global concern. 1–4 Thermosetting unsaturated polyester resin (TUPR) is one of the three thermosetting resins and has been widely used in many fields, such as in manufacturing buttons, containers, and wind turbine blades, for its excellent properties since 1942. 5 The massive production and extensive consumption of TUPR have caused waste thermosetting unsaturated polyester resin (WTUPR) to dramatically increase both in quantity and category, which causes considerable environmental deterioration and further exacerbates the energy crisis.…”