The catalyst (2.609 g HGM/CNx|Ni2P or HGM/CNx|Pt) was added to 217 mL of 1 mol L -1 KOH solution containing 25 mg mL -1 EG or pre-treated PET in a large reactor (V = 1.5 L; Figure , ESI) constructed using poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) which has good stability in alkaline conditions. The vessel was sealed with a septum (inserted into a hole on the side of the reactor facilitating gas extraction and purging processes), then the suspension was purged with N2/CH4 gas (98/2% v/v) for 45 min. The reactor was vertically irradiated for 2 h periods by a solar light simulator (G2V SunBrick, 100 mW cm -2 ) with the LED output calibrated to AM1.5G.