Radicals mediated polypropylene waste plastics oxidation into ketone fuel

[Display omitted] •Cu(II)/PMS system was first applied to the upcycling of PP waste plastics.•Efficient PP conversion and selective production of ketone fuels were achieved.•Mechanism of PP oxidation by •OH-dominant active species was explored.•PP was oxidized to hydrocarbons and further converted to ketone fuels. Currently, the environmental and ecological risks associated with plastics are escalating. Conventional thermo-catalytic systems driven under harsh conditions lead to more carbon emissions. Herein, we first developed a Fenton-like system mediated by Cu(II)-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for efficient conversion of polypropylene (PP) to ketone fuels (77.2 wt% conversion, 78.5 wt% selectivity) at 140 °C for 24 h. Cu(II) synergistic thermal activation achieved efficient PMS activation to produce radicals such as •OH, SO4•− and O2•−as well as 1O2 and Cu(III). In the presence of •OH-dominated active species, PP was cleaved to hydrocarbons with the breaking of C-C bonds, and further oxidation of C-H bonds converted hydrocarbons to ketone fuels. This study enabled the conversion of plastics to chemicals under mild conditions, a significant step towards the establishment of an efficient recycling system for plastics recovery, leading to zero plastic waste and a carbon–neutral environment.