Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Degradation of Polyvinyl Chloride under Normal Temperature and Pressure via Uranyl Photocatalyst

The degradation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been commonly reported on thermal, thermocatalytic, and microbial degradation, with few reports on the aspect of photocatalysis. Herein, we propose a strategy that uses uranyl as a photocatalyst to realize effective PVC degradation under visible light and mild conditions. The degree of dechlorination reaches 40%, and the molecular weight (Mw) decreases from 219.3 kg/mol to 3.7 kg/mol. Multiple experimental analyses and density functional theory calculations were conducted to elucidate the degradation pathways. The results show that uranyl serves not only as a promoter of hydrogen atom transfer but also as an inducer of dechlorination, both of which contribute to the PVC degradation. This mild, simple, and effective strategy for the photocatalytic degradation of PVC offers new insights into plastic treatment and can be further investigated for other potential applications such as halogenation.