Organolithium-assisted vacuum co-pyrolysis enables high-efficiency hydrocarbon upcycling of photovoltaic polymer waste

Summary Although organic polymers from spent photovoltaic (PV) panels pose environmental challenges, they also present opportunities for value creation. In this study, in-situ-generated organolithium intermediates derived from spent LiFePO₄ are leveraged under vacuum co-pyrolysis conditions to promote the decarbonylation and defluorination of mixed PV polymers, including ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), yielding hydrocarbon-rich gases with synergistic catalysis by LiOH, ZSM-5, and Ca(OH)₂. Fluorine in PVDF is immobilized as stable metal fluorides, and lithium is retained in recoverable forms, mitigating toxic gaseous emissions and facilitating resource circularity. We elucidate product distributions across different reaction conditions and propose a reaction pathway under the optimal conditions, corroborated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This general approach offers a promising, low-toxicity strategy for the potentially sustainable upcycling of waste PV panels and polymers.