Review of waste plastics treatment and utilization: Efficient conversion and high value utilization

With technique advancement and improved living standards, plastic production and usage have surged. This has led to a significant increase in plastic waste, causing severe environmental pollution. However, waste plastics are also a potential resource to be utilized. This article begins by outlining traditional waste plastics treatment and utilization technologies, analyzes the pros and cons of landfilling and incineration. On this basis, modern techniques for the treatment and utilization of waste plastics are further elaborated, which include recycling, resource utilization and degradation. The advantages of two resource utilization techniques, pyrolysis and chemical looping conversion of waste plastics, are emphasized. Then, the chemical recycling and polygeneration technologies of waste plastics are briefly described and analyzed, which provides theoretical support to promote the large-scale development and application of treatment and utilization technologies of waste plastics. Finally, it is found that there are still deficiencies by reviewing the existing treatment and utilization technologies of waste plastics. In the future, catalysts that can adapt to different types of waste plastics and have high activity and stability should be focused on. At the same time, strengthen the dechlorination treatment during the waste plastics treatment. Furthermore, finding oxygen carriers compatible with chemical looping conversion technique and accelerating the development of chemical looping pyrolysis of waste plastics.