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China researchers advance chemical process to turn plastic waste into fuel
The approach focuses on hydrogenolysis of polyolefins, a major share of plastic waste, aiming to convert it into targeted hydrocarbon ranges under relatively mild conditions.
China produces more than 460 million tonnes of plastic each year, and the material’s resistance to degradation has raised environmental concern, according to a study highlighted by SCMP Economy.
The research, led by a joint team from the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fudan University, centers on hydrogenolysis of polyolefins, using metal catalysts to cleave and rearrange carbon-carbon bonds.
SCMP Economy reports that polyolefins, mainly polythene and polypropylene, make up over 60 per cent of plastic waste, and the chemistry is designed for tunable product selectivity so researchers can steer conversion toward desired hydrocarbon ranges under relatively mild conditions.
The article notes that a long-standing challenge has historically hindered this route, even though the catalysts provide active sites for selectively breaking down the otherwise inert plastics.