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

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.

Automated summary

Shaping a sustainable future is closely tied to advanced plastic recycling technologies. Low global recycling rates result in the incineration or landfill disposal of post-consumer plastics, causing severe environmental risks and a loss of chemical resources. Recent breakthroughs in photocatalytic methods offer a solution by converting polymers into valuable organic molecules under environmentally benign conditions.