Plasma-enhanced upcycling of mixed plastic waste over La0.6Ca0.4FeO3− nano spheres for co-producing hydrogen and high-value carbon

• Plasma-enabled approach for rapid upcycling of mixed plastic waste from real-world sources. • Simultaneous production of carbon nanotube composites and hydrogen using nanospherical pre-catalysts. • Perovskite-based pre-catalysts enhance the efficiency of converting plastic waste into hydrogen. • Life cycle assessment highlighted the plasma pyrolysis process to be more energy-efficient. In this study, we present a novel plasma-enabled method for efficiently decomposing mixed plastic waste into hydrogen and valuable carbon materials. The plasma pyrolysis process exhibited superior performance compared to conventional thermal pyrolysis, achieving an H₂ yield of 24.4 mmol / g plastic , which is >25 times higher than that of the thermal pyrolysis process. The addition of La 0.6 Ca 0.4 FeO 3− δ nano spheres as a pre-catalyst further enhanced hydrogen yield by 1.8 times while facilitating the production of value-added carbon nanotube composite materials. A life-cycle assessment demonstrated that recycling mixed plastic waste via this method significantly reduces CO₂ emissions compared to conventional thermal pyrolysis. This innovative approach shows great potential and provides a scalable and sustainable solution for managing complex mixed plastic waste, promoting circular economy objectives while enabling industrial applications in clean energy production and advanced material development.