LAUSR

The massive generation of plastic wastes without satisfactory treatment has induced severe environmental problems and gained increasing attentions. In this mini-review, recent progresses in the chemical upcycling of plastic wastes by using various methods (mainly in the past three to five years) will be summarized. The chemical upcycling of plastic wastes points out a "plastic-based refinery" concept, which is to use the plastic wastes as platform feedstocks to produce highly valuable monomeric or oligomeric compounds, putting the plastic wastes back into a circular economy. The different chemical methods to upcycle plastic wastes including the hydrogenolysis, photocatalysis, pyrolysis, solvolysis, etc . will be introduced in each session to valorize diverse plastic feedstocks into value-added chemicals, materials or fuels. In addition, other emerging technologies as well as the new generation of plastic thermosets will be covered at last.