Cracking of plastic waste by the acidic FAU-type zeolites faces challenges of low production of light olefins, a high amount of coke formation, and expensive process. Basic zeolites might be a better alternative
however, their preparation is difficult and the related cracking mechanism is unknown. We addressed these difficulties by direct synthesis of a hierarchical acidic-basic FAU-type zeolite (HY-BS) using silica extracted from a low-grade kaolin containing alkaline (earth) metals and investigated the impact of basicity in the linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) cracking mechanism and products distribution. Compared to an acidic HY zeolite, the HY-BS presented comparable density of Brønsted acidity but a drastically higher density of the basicity. The HY-BS had comparable activity to the reference HY zeolite, but it produced twice light olefins (30.5