Bifunctional magnetic Co3O4-B/C catalysts for the thermochemical conversion of non-reciclable plastic waste Ortega García, Francisco Jiménez-Rodríguez, Lucía Blázquez, G. Calero De Hoces, Francisca Mónica Muñoz Batista, Mario Jesús Catalytic pyrolysis Non-recyclable plastic waste Two-step catalytic process The work presents a catalytic study focused on the valorization of the gas fraction generated during the pyrolysis of non-recyclable plastic waste. It encompasses both the development of catalytic materials and the optimization of a two-step process aimed at improving the gas composition toward a hydrogen-rich stream. The catalysts were synthesized through a simple and scalable solvent-less approach. The most promising material, a ternary Co₂O₃/B/Carbon system, not only exhibited remarkable catalytic activity but also displayed magnetic properties that facilitate its separation during the in situ pyrolysis stage, achieving 103.3 mmol of H2 produced at 1 h (5.2 mmol of H2 g−1 of the plastic), with H₂/CO > 2.0 and H₂/(CO + CO₂) of 1.6, representing a 43 % increase in the amount of H₂ produced compared to single-stage operation. The study identifies and discusses the roles of the Co-related metallic components supported on carbon, as well as the contribution of the minor boron species. Overall, this work provides clear evidence of the potential of a two-step catalytic configuration for the valorization of plastic residues that currently accumulate in landfills. 2026-03-06T11:12:41Z 2026-03-06T11:12:41Z 2026-04 journal article Ortega, F., Jiménez-Rodríguez, L., Blázquez, G., Calero, M., & Muñoz-Batista, M. J. (2026). Bifunctional magnetic Co3O4-B/C catalysts for the thermochemical conversion of non-reciclable plastic waste. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 14(2), 121775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2026.121775 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/111936 10.1016/j.jece.2026.121775 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ open access Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional Elsevier