Catalytic Upcycling of Polyethylene into Naphtha Using Commercial Heterogeneous Catalysts

Abstract The catalytic hydrogenolysis of waste polyolefins into naphtha‐range hydrocarbons offers a promising strategy for advancing the circularity of plastics by enabling their transformation into feedstocks for steam crackers. Despite this potential, the suitability of existing commercial hydrotreatment catalysts for this application remains underexplored. In this study, a systematic evaluation of various commercially available catalysts—including monometallic (Pt/Al 2 O 3 ), multimetallic Ni‐based and Au─Pd systems, and metal‐free materials (γ‐Al 2 O 3 and mordenite)—was conducted to assess their activity in polyethylene (PE) hydrogenolysis. Pt/Al 2 O 3 was used to establish model reaction conditions, which were then applied uniformly across all catalysts. The results revealed that catalytic operations are essential for liquid product formation; however, Pt/Al 2 O 3 displayed only limited activity, yielding 3% liquid under optimized conditions. While Ni‐based and Au─Pd catalysts produced higher yields, the resulting product streams failed to meet naphtha specifications due to elevated olefin content. Metal‐free catalysts showed negligible performance. The study demonstrates that commercially available hydrotreatment catalysts are insufficient for the efficient catalytic transformation of PE to naphtha. The findings highlight the need for the development of catalysts specifically engineered for polymer depolymerization and selective C─C bond cleavage, as well as a deeper mechanistic understanding of catalyst structure–function relationships in this emerging field.