Recycling Valuable Phenol from Polycarbonate Plastic Waste Via Direct Depolymerization and Csp²−Csp³ Bond Cleavage Under Mild Conditions

Upcycling plastic waste into commodity chemicals is recognized as an environmentally benign solution and beneficial for the sustained growth of humanity. Nevertheless, transition metal-free catalysts and energy-efficient conditions pose significant challenges due to the robust mechanical properties of plastics. Here, a strategy for selective production of phenol by upcycling polycarbonate waste via direct depolymerization and Csp²-Csp³ bond cleavage in an aqueous medium under mild conditions is reported. The commercial zeolites efficiently catalyze the depolymerization, Csp²-Csp³ bond hydrolysis, and direct Csp²-Csp³ bond scission at Cα of PC. Among all evaluated zeolites, HY (Si/Al=15) showed excellent catalytic performance, attributed to the ~75 % yield of phenol and ~15 % of acetone. The approach also employs different municipal waste PC for upcycling. Studies reveal that HY (15) exhibits high catalytic efficiency and phenol yield due to its optimum acid sites and textual properties. A scale-up experiment demonstrated that 3.1 g of phenol was produced from 5.0 g of PC, and the mass balance was 90 %. A combination of control experiments, NMR analysis, and DFT studies proposed the reaction pathway. Our findings present a sustainable avenue for upcycling PC waste and offer a new way to produce phenol, contributing to the advancement of a circular economy.