【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】New breakthroughs achieved in the value-added utilization of waste plastics in China! Photocatalytic technology turns polyester plastics and sulfur dioxide into valuable resources!

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April 29, 2026, Sinochem News Network. On April 26, news came from the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that its research team has recently made new breakthroughs in the value-added utilization of waste plastics. Through the photocatalytic technology they have developed, waste polyester (PET) plastics and sulfur dioxide from industrial exhaust gases can be transformed into valuable organic sulfur compounds that can be widely used. 　　This significant achievement in the field of photocatalysis provides new strategies for the synthesis of organic sulfur compounds, opens up new avenues for the high-value conversion of waste plastics, and enriches the range of products obtained from the upgrading and recycling of polyesters. A related paper was recently published in the international professional academic journal „German Applied Chemistry“. 　　The research team explained that photocatalytic technology features green and mild reaction conditions. Previously, they had successfully used waste plastic and ammonia as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, to produce amino acids and formamides through photocatalytic C-N coupling reactions. On this basis, they further developed a copper single-atom/titanium dioxide single-atom photocatalyst to effectively enhance catalytic activity. Under light conditions, polyester-derived ethylene glycol is efficiently converted into hydroxymethanesulfonate (HMS) and hydrogen. 　　It is understood that HMS is a typical organic sulfur compound, widely used in fields such as electroplating, pharmaceutical synthesis, food additives, agricultural chemicals, and rubber materials. Currently, the nucleophilic addition reaction of formaldehyde with sulfites is primarily used in industry to produce HMS. However, formaldehyde is derived from fossil fuels, is highly toxic, and tends to polymerize into polyformaldehyde, which can cause pipe blockages and production disruptions. Therefore, developing new green, efficient, and sustainable synthetic routes for HMS is of great research significance and practical value.