Plastic waste as a feedstock for solar-driven H-2 generation

Solar-driven reforming of plastics offers a simple and low-energy means to turn waste into H-2. Here, we report the efficient photoreforming of three commonly produced polymers - polylactic acid, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyurethane - using inexpensive CdS/CdOx quantum dots in alkaline aqueous solution. This process operates under ambient temperature and pressure, generates pure H-2 and converts the waste polymer into organic products such as formate, acetate and pyruvate. We further validate the real-world applicability of the system by converting a PET water bottle into H-2. This is the first demonstration of visible light-driven, noble metal-free photoreforming of plastic.