With the invention that has been developed by the team of Vollmer at Utrecht University, plastic can be broken down very effectively in a process where the energy demand is potentially lowered. This is due to lower temperature requirements and the possibility to directly use renewable energy sources such as electricity and mechanical energy. A catalytic ball mill reactor allows for using mechanical force rather than heat to break down polymers. The lower operating temperature allows for better control over the products scope, which is difficult for traditional thermal conversion routes, such as pyrolysis. Additionally, a catalyst was implemented in the process which lowers the energy barrier for polymer conversion and enables the selective conversion of plastic to value-added chemicals, such as ethylene, propylene, olefins, aromatics, longer-chained alkanes or cracker feedstock.