Making Persistent Plastics Degradable

The vastness of the scale of the plastic waste problem will require a variety of strategies and technologies to move toward sustainable and circular materials. One of these strategies to address the challenge of persistent fossil-based plastics is new catalytic processes that are being developed to convert recalcitrant waste such as polyethylene to produce propylene, which can be an important precursor of high-performance polymers that can be designed to biodegrade or to degrade on demand. Remarkably, this process also enables the production of biodegradable polymers using renewable raw materials. In this Perspective, current catalyst systems and strategies that enable the catalytic degradation of polyethylene to propylene are presented. In addition, concepts for using green propylene as a raw material to produce compostable polymers is also discussed.

Automated summary

Addressing the challenge of plastic waste requires diverse strategies and technologies. This article focuses on the development of new catalytic processes to convert polyethylene waste into propylene, which can be used to produce biodegradable high-performance polymers. It also discusses the concept of using green propylene as a raw material for compostable polymers.