The rapid accumulation of plastic waste and the continued reliance on fossil-derived gasoline necessitate sustainable and scalable waste-to-energy solutions. An integrated catalytic process is demonstrated that converts post-consumer polyethylene and polypropylene waste into super pyrolysis gasoline (SPG), a high-octane fuel. Pyrolysis at 450°C yields 70–75 wt% oil, from which the C 5 –C 12 fraction is distilled and upgraded by hydrodesulfurization (350°C, 50 bar H 2 , Ni-Mo/Al 2 O 3 ) and reforming/isomerization (500°C, Ni–ZSM-5). X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ammonia temperature-programmed desorption (NH 3 -TPD) confirm robust Ni dispersion and retained Brønsted acidity; operando DRIFTS/Raman reveals minimal coke deposition (D/G ≈ 0.45). DFT calculations indicate Ni sites lower C–C scission barriers by ∼0.3 eV, favouring branched and aromatic species. SPG achieves research octane number (RON) of 103, motor octane number (MON) of 91, <1 ppm sulfur, and a heating value of 45.8 MJ kg −1 . In a 1.6 L turbocharged gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine, SPG attains 36.5% peak brake thermal efficiency (vs 33.9%/35.2% for RON 91/98), reduces BSFC to 232 g kW −1 h −1 , and lowers CO, HC, and PM 2.5 emissions up to 30%. Accelerated ageing (45°C, 30 days) shows <3% FTIR change, confirming storage stability. Techno-economic modelling of a 10 tpd facility estimates production costs of 25–28 INR L −1 , compared to gasoline at 105–110 INR L −1 , yielding a 40–50% margin. These results confirm the technical feasibility and practical potential of plastic waste-derived super pyrolysis gasoline as a high-performance, drop-in alternative fuel.
Dey et al. (Wed,) studied this question.