Development trends of innovative technologies for urban solid waste treatment

Currently, China’s solid waste treatment industry stands at the intersection of technological revolution and institutional innovation. On one hand, the ‘Zero-Waste City’ initiative is expanding nationwide from pilot programs, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system is being rapidly implemented, and the expansion of carbon markets has opened up new value spaces for solid waste treatment. On the other hand, the deep integration of frontier technologies—including artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and nanomaterials—is reshaping the industry landscape: intelligent sorting, enzymatic biodegradation, and energy recovery are emerging as disruptive innovations, driving solid waste treatment toward reduction, resource recovery, harmlessness, and low-carbon operation. This article aims to map the current state of urban solid waste treatment technologies, analyze the application and convergence trends of cutting-edge innovations, and provide a systematic reference for industry practitioners, policymakers, and investors—jointly exploring sustainable pathways for urban solid waste governance and resource circulation. 1. Overall Development Direction The urban solid waste sector is shifting from past priorities—harmless disposal and volume reduction—toward full-chain circularity, high-value utilization, low-carbon decarbonization, and intelligent management. It is evolving from isolated end-of-pipe treatment to an integrated model encompassing: source reduction → sorting and quality enhancement → collaborative treatment → high-value utilization of outputs → carbon asset management. Technological pathways reflect: (i) large-scale iterative deployment of mature technologies; (ii) demonstration-to-commercialization of frontier technologies; (iii) domestication and standardization of equipment; and (iv) business models transitioning from pure treatment fees to diversified revenue streams—‘treatment + resources + carbon benefits’. 2. Seven Core Development Trends Trend 1: Intelligent and refined front-end sorting—source-quality enhancement becomes imperative (1) AI-powered hyperspectral imaging combined with robotic sorting is becoming widespread, replacing traditional manual sorting. It enables automatic identification and separation of plastics, metals, glass, and hazardous components from mixed waste streams, significantly improving the recovery rate of low-value recyclables—especially tackling persistent challenges in sorting mixed and composite packaging plastics, thereby laying the feedstock foundation for chemical recycling. (2) Deepening integration of the two networks: seamless linkage between household waste classification & collection systems and the recycled resource recovery system. Pre-processing at transfer stations reduces downstream treatment burdens; mobile sorting equipment is gaining traction in construction waste and industrial park solid waste applications. (3) Sorting is no longer solely about ‘separating out’ materials—it increasingly emphasizes *pre-removal* of hazardous components (e.g., PVC plastics, heavy metal impurities) upstream to mitigate downstream risks. Trend 2: Iteration of thermochemical treatment technologies—diversified alternatives to conventional incineration (1) Upgraded conventional incineration: domestically developed grate furnaces continue to improve, enhancing power generation efficiency; incineration plants are transforming from simple electricity generators into integrated bases combining incineration, resource recovery, and carbon accounting; flue gas purification and on-site fly ash treatment systems are upgraded in parallel. (2) Pyrolysis/gasification and plasma melting technologies are moving from demonstration to small-scale commercialization—primarily targeting incineration fly ash, sewage sludge, medical waste, and other hard-to-treat mixed solid wastes. High-temperature melting immobilizes heavy metals and yields usable slag; key bottlenecks—high capital investment and operational costs—are being addressed to gradually reduce equipment costs. (3) Chemical recycling of waste plastics (catalytic cracking) is accelerating industrialization, enabling molecular-level recycling of contaminated or mixed plastic waste unsuitable for mechanical recycling; critical challenges include catalyst development, product purification, and cost control—aiming to close the loop: ‘waste plastic → chemical feedstock → new plastic’. (4) Novel low-temperature pyrolysis and magnetized cracking processes are being tailored for small- and medium-sized cities and decentralized scenarios, promoting modular, compact equipment.

Review of alloy-based catalysts for electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NO₃RR), CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR), urea synthesis, and plastic recycling

7.5 Real-world challenges in practical PET hydrolysate systems Most literature employs pure ethylene glycol (EG) standard electrolytes for testing, rarely using actual hydrolysates obtained directly from alkaline PET hydrolysis. Real hydrolysates present several issues: (1) High concentrations of terephthalic acid (TPA); TPA and its dissociated anions adsorb onto catalyst surfaces, occupying active sites and diminishing activity; (2) Introduction of abundant alkali metal salt impurities during hydrolysis; (3) System pH drift over reaction time; (4) Continuous leaching of more reactive metals from the alloy under prolonged anodic oxidation, accompanied by surface oxidative reconstruction of the catalyst. Consequently, Faradaic efficiencies (FE) and activity metrics obtained in idealized, pure-electrolyte lab settings often deteriorate markedly when tested in real PET hydrolysates. Future studies should prioritize performance evaluation using actual PET hydrolysates—not just simulated small-molecule electrolytes. 7.6 Coupled electrolytic systems (anode–cathode pairing) PET upcycling occurs at the anode; the cathode can be paired with complementary reduction reactions to construct coupled electrolytic systems that simultaneously produce high-value chemicals at both electrodes: Combination 1: Anode—PET upcycling (EG → formic acid/glycolic acid) + Cathode—nitrate reduction to ammonia (NO₃⁻RR); Combination 2: Anode—PET upcycling + Cathode—CO₂RR to multi-carbon products; Combination 3: Anode—PET upcycling + Cathode—hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) for H₂ production. This coupling strategy consumes only electrical energy while generating valuable chemicals at both electrodes—significantly enhancing overall process economics. It represents a highly promising route for future industrialization. However, such systems require simultaneous optimization of *both* anode and cathode catalysts, careful alignment of their respective potential windows, and inherently higher system complexity. 8. Comprehensive Summary, Key Challenges, and Future Outlook (Final Version) This review systematically covers alloy catalysts applied to four major directions of electrocatalytic conversion of pollutants into high-value chemicals: (1) electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia (e-NO₃RR); (2) electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction to multi-carbon products (e-CO₂RR); (3) electrocatalytic co-reduction of CO₂/NO₃⁻ for urea synthesis; and (4) electrocatalytic upcycling of PET plastic waste. It comprehensively surveys synthesis methods for binary alloys, medium-entropy alloy (MEA) nanoparticles, high-entropy alloys (HEAs), intermetallic compounds (IMCs), and single-atom alloys (SAAs); and analyzes structure–activity relationships across dimensions including morphology engineering, crystal-phase modulation, defect engineering, entropy engineering, charge polarization, and interfacial synergy. Common fundamental scientific challenges: 1. Mismatch between *as-synthesized* and *operando* active phases. Electrocatalytic conditions (applied potential, strongly acidic/alkaline electrolytes, intermediate adsorption) drive surface segregation, leaching, and oxidative reconstruction of alloys. Most studies rely solely on ex situ characterization before and after reaction, failing to capture the true atomic-scale structure *during* operation. Operando/in situ characterization techniques—including in situ Raman, in situ XAFS, and in situ electron microscopy—are essential to unravel genuine structure–activity relationships. 2. Insufficient stability—large gap from industrial benchmarks. Most laboratory-scale stability tests last only tens of hours, using simplified, ultra-pure electrolyte systems. In realistic complex media—such as wastewater, PET hydrolysates, high-salt solutions, or impurity-laden electrolytes—activity and Faradaic efficiency decay rapidly. Moreover, stability evaluation criteria vary widely across studies, hindering meaningful cross-comparison.

Loop Industries Secures Funding to Support Commercial Deployment of Proprietary Chemical Recycling Process for Hard-to-Recycle Plastic Waste

Jun 4, 2026

Loop Industries secured C$2.92 million in funding from Canada's National Research Council to scale its Infinite Loop™ chemical recycling technology for hard-to-recycle plastic waste.

ACCESS Newswire

Loop Industries Secures Funding to Support Commercial Deployment of Proprietary Chemical Recycling Process for Hard-to-Recycle Plastic Waste

The Globe and Mail

Loop Industries Secures Funding to Support Commercial Deployment of Proprietary Chemical Recycling Process for Hard-to-Recycle Plastic Waste

The Globe and Mail

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