Near-zero-waste hydrogenolysis of poly(lactic acid) to biofuel

Green recycling of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) has become the future trend for its large-scale application to cope with the “white pollution” associated. In the present study, solvent-free catalytic hydrogenolysis of PLA powder was developed with a carbon utilization of 99 % and 100 % conversion. The primary products were oxygenated liquid fuels with HHV = 29.9 MJ/kg and CO gas (∼99 %, disregard of hydrogen reactant) without the formation of any solid residues. Such hydrogenolysis process was further verified by discarded PLA straws, which possessed 95 % carbon recovery, and the derived oil held an HHV = 30.3 MJ/kg. Benefiting from the solvent-free process and near-zero-waste products, this technique provides an extraordinarily sustainable pathway for recycling PLA and its spent plastics.