Catalytic Depolymerisation for a Circular Economy: Reaction Mechanisms, Monomer Recovery and Polymer Redesign

The persistence of plastic waste that resists natural degradation has driven extensive efforts to develop effective recycling solutions. At the end of their life, catalytic depolymerisation can be used to turn polymers into something else. This has been shown to be game-changing to enable monomers back and a step forward in the development of circular plastic economies. This review examines the mechanistic foundations of the catalytic depolymerisation of different types of polymers, with a focus on transition metal catalysts and the ligand environment. This leads to the activation of selectivity and the effectiveness of catalysis. There is concern how to return high-purity monomers back, how to redesign polymers so that they can be depolymerised, and how to scale up the process in a way that makes sense from a technical and economic perspective. Reaction engineering, materials science, and environmental policy all work together to make catalytic depolymerisation a promising way to manage plastic in a sustainable way. This review presents an overview of the problems and the ways these systems can change things