Selective degradation of styrene-contained plastics catalyzed by iron under visible light

Efficient degradation of plastics, the vital challenge for a sustainable future, stands in need of better chemical recycling procedures that help produce commercially valuable small molecules and redefine plastic waste as a rich source of chemical feedstock. However, the corresponding chemical recycling methods, while being generally restricted to polar polymers, need improvement. Particularly, degradation of chemical inert nonpolar polymers, the major constitutes of plastics, are reported to have suffered from low selectivity and very harsh transformation conditions. Herein, we report an efficient method for the selective degradation of styrene-contained plastics under gentle conditions through oxidative multiple sp3 C-C bond cleavage. The unpresented procedure is catalyzed with inexpensive iron salts under visible light, using oxygen as the green oxidant. Furthermore, simple iron salts can be used to degrade plastics in the absence of solvent under natural conditions, highlighting the potential application of iron salts as additives for degradable plastics.