ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Virtual special issue: Thermal and catalytical chemical conversions of plastic wastes for sustainable production of energy, fuels, and chemicals

With the widespread use of plastic products, the amount of plastic wastes has proliferated, and the disposal of plastic wastes is one of the major global problems affecting environmental balance and human life at present. As thermal and catalytic chemical conversions of plastic wastes are new approaches to treat waste plastics sustainably, a growing number of scholars are focusing on this area in the hope of producing energy, fuels, and chemicals sustainably. However, due to the highly complex nature of thermal and catalytical chemical conversions of plastic wastes, our understandings of the underlying mechanisms and utilization of this technology are not yet mature. Therefore, in recent years, sheer volumes of activities have been conducted in the area of thermal and catalytic chemical conversions of plastic wastes, aiming to contribute significantly to our understanding and application of it.

This virtual special issue (Thermal and Catalytical Chemical Conversions of Plastic Wastes for Sustainable Production of Energy, Fuels, and Chemicals) has collected 21 research papers related to thermal and catalytic chemical conversions of plastic wastes to report and summarize the up-to-date progress in this field. Three main categories of papers in this virtual special issue are directed output of products, study of reaction mechanisms, and evaluation of reaction systems.