Recent developments on the zeolites catalyzed polyolefin plastics pyrolysis

Resource utilization of ever-increasing waste plastics, identified as the most effective avenue for achieving value recovery and reducing the environmental impact, has received extensive concerns worldwide. This review critically summarizes the recent advancements in the catalytic pyrolysis of polyolefin plastics over various zeolite-based materials, i.e. metal-loaded zeolites, hierarchical zeolites and nanocrystalline zeolites. Much emphasis is placed on the topic of aromatic hydrocarbons production from zeolites catalyzed polyolefin plastics pyrolysis, with a focus on the applied zeolite-based materials as well as the pyrolysis characteristics and product distribution. In addition, some related aspects involved in polyolefin plastics pyrolysis, such as deactivation mechanism of zeolites, coking inhibition, catalyst regeneration and influence of impurities, were also systematically discussed. And finally, the challenge and outlook in the sustainable development for catalytic pyrolysis of polyolefin plastics into high-value products are put forward. •Pyrolysis of waste plastics provides sustainable energy and chemicals.•Effects of zeolite characteristics on polyolefin plastics pyrolysis are discussed.•Coking and regeneration of zeolites in polyolefin plastics pyrolysis are emphasized.•The limitations and research directions for plastics pyrolysis are highlighted.