每年对塑料的需求不断增长；仅在2020年，全球生产量约为3.68亿吨。根据Plastics Europe的数据，从2016年到2018年，共产生了29.1百万吨的塑料废弃物，其中24%最终填埋在场地中，因积累而产生问题。对塑料的需求增加开始导致非可再生资源油源的短缺。另一方面，各种研究已经报告了对人类健康的影响，如神经损伤、鼻腔、前列腺和卵巢癌以及动物物种由于食物中的微塑料摄入而导致的消化和呼吸道破坏。基于这些原因，已经提出了各种解决塑料废弃物回收和循环利用的方案。其中最有前途的技术之一是热解和催化降解，也称为热解。该技术允许回收具有高能量价值的化合物。本研究讨论了塑料造成的各种环境和社会影响。提供了按部门和塑料类型的全球消费数据，并显示了每种热塑性塑料的不同热解途径。© 2023. 作者，独家授权给Springer Nature Switzerland AG。

The demand to produce plastic has increased yearly; only in 2020, there was a production of approximately 368 million tons worldwide. According to Plastics Europe, from 2016 to 2018, a total of 29.1 Mt of plastic waste was generated, and 24% of this ended up in a landfill, generating problems due to accumulation. The increase in the demand for plastics has begun to contribute to the shortage of oil sources, a non-renewable resource. On the other hand, various researchers have reported effects on human health such as neurological damage, cancer in the nasal cavities, prostate, and ovarian cancer, and in animal species, destruction of the digestive and respiratory tracts due to the consumption of microplastics in food. Due to these reasons, various solutions have been proposed for recovering and recycling plastic waste. One of the most promising technologies is thermal and catalytic degradation, known as pyrolysis. This technology allows the recovery of chemical compounds of high energy value. In this work, the various environmental and social impacts caused by plastic are discussed. Worldwide consumption data is provided by sector and type of plastic, and the different routes of thermal degradation for each type of thermoplastic are shown.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.