Recently, the research team led by Professor Zhang Jing from the School of Environment at Harbin Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, made significant progress in the chemical recycling of plastic waste. They proposed a method using renewable formic acid instead of high-pressure hydrogen gas, employing a RuPt alloy catalyst to convert polyethylene into fuels and chemicals, achieving high-value reuse of polyethylene-based plastic waste. The related research findings were published in *Nature Communications*.

Taking up approximately one-third of global plastic production，polyethylene poses persistent environmental hazards due to its high chemical stability and inherent hydrophobicity. Hydrogenolysis has emerged as a promising strategy for chemical recycling of plastic waste, but its reliance on high-pressure hydrogen presents significant challenges. This study employs formic acid as an alternative to high-pressure hydrogen, utilizing a RuPt alloy catalyst to convert polyethylene into fuels and chemicals. This formic acid-mediated approach enables the complete transformation of real-world polyolefin feedstocks into valuable products. The research provides a transformative solution for decentralized plastic upgrading, offering new insights into modular and scalable waste processing facilities.