Integrated strategy for the synthesis of aromatic building blocks via upcycling of real-life plastic wastes

There is a high demand for aromatic compounds in petrochemical industries as well as in end-user industries. However, current synthesis of aromatics is entirely dependent on energy-intensive strategies. At the same time, the rapid growth of plastic wastes in landfills and oceans is alarming. As a solution to both dilemmas, we report here an integrated strategy for the synthesis of lower aromatics such as benzene, toluene, biphenyl, and salicylic acid from real-life PS-based wastes. Additionally, four bioactive compounds have been synthesized. Advantageously, gram-scale transformations of real-life PS-based wastes have been achieved to demonstrate the practicality. Finally, detailed mechanistic investigations have revealed the mechanism of this upcycling strategy and clearly demonstrated the role of each reagent involved in this reaction.