Critical Review of Heterogeneous Catalysts: Manufacturing of Fuel from Waste Plastic Pyrolysis

The escalating demand for plastic presents an immense peril to both the environment and humanity. Not only have there been notable advancements in the creation of advanced biodegradable polymers, but there has also been a lack of attention towards tackling the current issue of plastic waste. Processing fuels via plastic waste valorization provides a feasible approach to recycle plastics and mitigating pollution for the improvement of society. This review addresses a comprehensive analysis of various heterogeneous catalysts in the context of plastic pyrolysis to produce fuel, intending to identify an eco-friendly method for recycling garbage. The choice of catalyst has a substantial effect on the disintegration process of waste plastic, dictating the properties of the resulting fuel, encompassing both the amount and the quality. Pyrolysis, an alternative method for addressing the increasing waste disposal issue, is a non-toxic process that does not release hazardous pollutants, in contrast to incineration. The waste plastic serves as a feedstock for pyrolysis process, employing innovative, environmentally friendly catalysts derived from natural and other sources, to generate fuel oil that possesses similar physical characteristics to the diminishing petroleum-based fuels. This critical review analyzes the impact of different heterogeneous catalysts on the process of transforming waste plastic to produce fuel through pyrolysis. Heterogeneous catalysts are crucial to the process of turning discarded plastics into oil, offering significant potential for improving not only economic and environmental conditions but also benefiting both industry and society.