Recycling of polyolefins using recycled PVC under sunlight.

Abstract

The recycling of polyolefin plastics is often hindered by high energy consumption and low economic efficiency. In particular, the recycling of poly(vinyl chloride) is especially challenging. Here, we present a protocol to recycle poly(vinyl chloride) into a photothermal agent for the depolymerization of polyolefins under sunlight. By dechlorinating the poly(vinyl chloride), we harness its unique ability to convert sunlight into the energy required to break C-C bonds in polyolefins. This protocol allows for the transformation of low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and polypropylene into waxes enriched with terminal olefins. Furthermore, it can also enable the conversion of polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(α-methyl styrene), styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene into their respective monomers. This broad applicability makes our protocol suitable for recycling of a wide range of post-consumer plastics and their mixtures under ambient environment. This work provides an effective strategy for polyolefins recycling using waste plastics and solar energy.