Plasma Catalysis for Plastic Waste Conversion into Value‐Added Products: Advancements and Perspectives

Abstract The exponential growth of end‐of‐life plastics driven by population expansion has created severe environmental challenges due to inadequate disposal strategies. Chemical upcycling of these carbon‐rich materials presents a dual opportunity to address both pollution concerns and energy sustainability through resource recovery. Traditional thermal conversion methods, however, face significant energy barriers due to the inherent stability of polymer structures. Although recent progress in renewable energy‐driven approaches (notably photocatalytic and electrocatalytic routes) has enabled mild‐condition plastic valorization and has been reviewed, plasma‐catalytic strategies remain under‐examined. This review, therefore, fills that gap, spotlighting plasma catalysis as an emerging platform that marries renewable‐energy input with highly selective chemical transformation. Early‐stage plasma degradation studies revealing non‐selective bond cleavage have evolved into sophisticated catalytic systems achieving targeted product formation through synergistic plasma‐catalyst interactions. Critical optimization strategies are proposed across three dimensions: rational catalyst design leveraging plasma‐induced surface activation, reactive gas medium optimization for selective intermediate formation, and system‐level energy efficiency enhancement. The perspective emphasizes that fully harnessing the carbon and hydrogen locked in plastic waste is indispensable for a carbon‐neutral circular‐plastics economy, and it maps out a roadmap in which plasma‐catalytic technologies upgrade discarded polymers into high‐value feedstock while minimizing greenhouse‐gas emissions.