Polyurethane (PU) is one of the most versatile thermoset synthetic polymers which through careful choice of monomer and formulation, can be seen in a myriad of different forms ranging from rigid-, flexible and molded foams to adhesives and elastomers just to name a few. Through its many forms, PU is seen in a plethora of different product like shoes, mattresses, and insolation material but also in more sophisticated products like wind turbine blades and components within aircrafts and cars. With a global production estimated to be above 22 million tons, increasing demand and production results in an ever-increasing amount of PU-waste, but here, the lack of good recycling methods means that most PU is send for energy recovery through incineration or is landfilled.
New research by the RePURpose consortium in ChemSusChem spearheaded by Prof Troels Skrydstrup and Ass. Prof. Steffan Kvist Kristensen has now shown that commercial and end-of-life PU-materials can be depolymerized into monomeric building blocks through chemical recycling. Where current PU‑recycling methods generate a secondary PU-material with other characteristics than the original material, this newly developed methodology has the potential to create virgin polymeric material with the same characteristics as the original material.
In the present study, researchers from the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, iNANO, and Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University, reports that a catalytic system based on the...
Read Full Story: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930260
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