Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2026, Vol. 91: 1-49.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65230-8

• Reviews •     Next Articles

Recent advances in catalytic conversion technologies for plastic waste upgrading

Yang Wana, Bao Zoua, Xianghai Songa, Yan Liua,*(), Jianmin Luob, Xin Liua, Xin Lic,*(), Pengwei Huoa,*()   

  1. a Institute of Green Chemistry and Chemical Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China
    b School of Chemistry and Civil Engineering, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, Guangdong, China
    c Key Laboratory for Biobased Materials and Energy of Ministry of Education, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong, China
  • Received:2026-04-25 Accepted:2026-06-22 Online:2026-12-18 Published:2026-10-13
  • About author:Yan Liu received her B.A. degree from Nanjing Normal University in 2003, and Ph.D degree from Jiangsu University in 2011. From 2018-2019, she worked as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Irvine (USA). Her research interests currently focus on design of functional materials and their applications in engineering and catalysis. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers.
    Xin Li received his BS and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from Zhengzhou University in 2002 and South China University of Technology in 2007, respectively. Then, he joined the South China Agricultural University as a faculty staff member, and became a professor in 2017. During 2012 and 2019, he worked as a visiting scholar at the Electrochemistry Center, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, respectively. His research interests include photocatalysis, photoelectrochemistry, adsorption, biomass engineering and the development of related materials and devices.
    Pengwei Huo received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Jiangsu University. He joined the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Jiangsu University as a lecturer in 2011, was promoted to associate professor in 2014. Between 2015 and 2016, he served as a postdoctoral researcher at VSB-Technical University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Since 2019, he has held the position of professor and doctoral supervisor at Jiangsu University. His research interests include environmental catalysis, the design and applications of functional materials, and the resource utilization of waste plastics.
    First author contact:

    Yang Wan: Writing - review & editing, Writing - original draft, Data curation, Conceptualization; Bao Zou, Xianghai Song, and Xin Liu: Data curation, Software, Formal analysis; Jianmin Luo: Project administration, Validation, Supervision; Yan Liu, and Xin Li: Project administration, Methodology, Review & editing; Pengwei Huo: Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition.

  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(22578189);the Key Laboratory for Palygorskite Science and Applied Technology of Jiangsu(HPK202401)

Abstract:

The rapid growth in plastic consumption and improper disposal have exacerbated plastic pollution (“white pollution”) and resulted in a significant waste of hydrocarbon resources. Based on the concepts of circular economy and “carbon peaking, carbon neutrality”, the upgrading and transformation of plastic waste is receiving increasing attention. In recent years, catalytic conversion technology has become a key method to solve the contradiction between plastic pollution and resource utilization, including but not limited to photocatalysis, thermocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and biocatalysis. It can not only directly and effectively reduce environmental pollution, but also produce high-value chemicals, fuels from waste resources, thereby alleviating the global energy shortage. Based on this, this review systematically elucidates the direct and indirect pathways for plastic upcycling, and provides an in-depth comparison of the reaction mechanisms, catalyst design strategies, and selective activation rules of chemical bonds across different catalytic approaches. For the first time, it systematically integrates the latest research progress on photocatalytic, thermocatalytic, electrocatalytic, biocatalytic, and synergistic catalytic technologies for the upgrading conversion of typical plastics, clarifies the application scenarios and key bottlenecks of various catalytic methods, reveals the relationship between catalyst microstructure and selective bond cleavage, and proposes important directions for the future design of catalytic systems. This review aims to provide a theoretical framework for the resource-oriented conversion of waste plastics, thereby advancing the development of a green circular economy and supporting sustainable development goals.

Key words: Plastic waste, Upgraded recycling, Catalytic conversion routes, Catalytic mechanism, Resource utilization