Bimetal-carbon engineering for polypropylene conversion into hydrocarbons and ketones in a Fenton-like system

Fenton-like reaction with targeted reactive species was tested for up-cycling of waste plastics to value-added chemicals and we demonstrated a bimetal-carbon-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) Fenton-like system for effectively converting polypropylene into hydrocarbons and ketones. In a hydrothermal reaction process at 160 °C for 14 h, directional polypropylene conversion was achieved at a selectivity of 80 wt% hydrocarbons and ketones in the products. The distribution of Cu-Mg bimetallic sites on a carbon substrate exhibited a synergistic effect, and their catalytic activation of PMS induced specific generation of •OH-dominated reactive species. The target reactive species controlled the oxidizing capacity of the system. The efficient breaking of C-C/C-H bond in polypropylene and the subsequent further oxidation under mild conditions led to the dominated products of hydrocarbons and ketones. This study provides an attractive approach for upcycling waste plastics, thus promoting circular economy and carbon reduction.