Solar-driven reforming of solid waste for a sustainable future

Approximately 70% of global municipal solid waste is lost to landfills or the environment each year, an emblem of our increasingly unsustainable economic system in which materials and energy are produced, used and promptly discarded. Photoreforming is a sunlight-driven technology that can help disrupt this linear model by simultaneously reclaiming the value in waste and contributing to renewable hydrogen production. This Review examines the advantages and challenges of photoreforming of real waste streams. By reviewing literature on photoreforming and conducting basic techno-economic and life cycle assessments, we identify key pathways for enhancing the impact of photoreforming for a carbon-neutral future. Photoreforming is a sunlight-driven technology that can simultaneously reclaim the value in waste and contribute to renewable hydrogen production. This Review examines the advantages and challenges and identifies ways forward.