Photoreforming of Plastic Wastes into Value-Added Chemicals with Hydrogen Production

Abstract

Plastics, as widely used synthetic materials, have shown threatens to ecosystems and human health but represent untapped carbon-hydrogen resources. Conventional plastic treatment methods are plagued by environmental pollution, resource, and generally use harsh conditions with additional energy input, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable alternatives.Recently, photoreforming of plastics has emerged as a promising strategy for plastic treatment, enabling the conversion of plastic wastes into high-value chemicals with hydrogen production using solar energy under ambient conditions, which is highly promising. This review summarizes recent advances in photocatalytic conversion of plastics. First, it clarifies the underlying mechanisms of photoreforming of plastics. Second, the photocatalysts (metal oxides/sulfides, noble metals, carbon-nitrogen materials, MOFs/COFs, etc.) are categorized, with a foucs on their structure-activity relationships and corresponding optimization strategies. Third, progresses in the convertion of major plastics are discussed in detail, emphasizing catalystic performance, product selectivity, and key mechanistic insights. Finally, current limitations and future directions are discussed. This review provides a comprehensive overview of photoreforming of plastics, offering insights into the usage of plastics as carbon-hydrogen resources to realizing resource recycling.