Role of polyoxometalates in converting plastic waste into fuel oil

Abstract Environmental pollution from plastic waste and the energy crisis are currently among the main burning issues. Thermal or catalytic recycling of waste plastic for liquid fuel generation is the most promising solution to these issues. Catalytic cracking is usually preferred over thermal one owing to its greater selectivity towards the desired products. This chapter describes the properties and potential of polyoxometalates (POMs) as catalysts for catalytic cracking of plastic waste and converting it into derived fuel oil. POMs are distinct metal oxide condensates with unique physicochemical properties that make them excellent candidates for homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis applications. POM-based catalytic cracking shows high selectivity for liquid hydrocarbons due to a larger number of Bronsted acid sites that accelerate the cracking process, thereby breaking the larger hydrocarbons into smaller ones and as a result, large amounts of petrol like fractions and gaseous products are obtained. Both oil and gas fractions obtained by catalytic pyrolysis are valued fuel products. This chapter is explicitly focusing on the catalytic properties of POMs and describing the reaction mechanism for POM-based cracking reactions as well as highlighting the effect of POMs on the products’ distribution and selectivity.