Conversion of Waste Plastics into Value-Added Carbonaceous Fuels under Mild Conditions

Owing to the extremely difficult breakage of the adamant cross-linked structures, converting non-recyclable plastic wastes into valuable fuels usually demands rigorous conditions, wherein the required high temperature and pressure is inevitably energy-wasting and environment-polluting. Given this aspect, herein, the recent achievements in the conversion of plastics into value-added carbonaceous fuels under mild conditions are summarized. In detail, solar-driven conversion of commercial plastics into liquid fuels in alkaline solutions or pure water at ambient temperature and pressure are surveyed; also, enzyme-driven conversion of polyethylene terephthalate into terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol at a mild temperature are emphasized; and low-temperature-driven catalytic conversion of polyethylene into oils and waxes with the help of a light alkane are reviewed. Finally, other potentially used strategies and in situ characterization technologies in plastics degradation under moderate conditions are presented.