Plastics have numerous applications in industrial and household purposes. Thus, their annual production is increasing, thereby generating enormous end-of-life waste. Very often, these polymeric wastes are typically buried underground or discharged into the ocean and is alarming. Notably, recycling rates of such polymers are extremely low; therefore, sustainable solutions for recycling of polymers attracted significant attention. Herein, we have demonstrated a general and sustainable transfer hydrogenation strategy for the depolymerization of carbamates and ureas, including polyurethanes (PU)-the polymeric analogs of carbamates-and lab-made polyurethanes enabled by nickel. A variety of end-of-life PU wastes generated from bike seats and kitchen sponges have been depolymerized into speciality chemicals, such as aromatic diamine and polyols. Catalytic protocols exhibited a broad scope (>52 entries, up to 99% yield) and remarkable functional group tolerance. Mechanistic studies and control experiments were performed to understand the catalytic pathways.
Polyurethane (PU) is a non-biodegradable thermoset plastic and a persistent waste burden with an annual production of around 26 million tonnes. Conventional disposal routes squander valuable resources and generate greenhouse gas emissions. Though chemical recycling offers a sustainable reuse route by depolymerizing P...
A. Sarala, G. Rossignolo, T. Andersen et al.· ACS Sustainable Chemistry &a...· 0 citations
The rapid growth of the polymer industry has driven the widespread application of polyester plastics, especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, the nonbiodegradability of waste PET poses persistent threats to ecosystems. Conventional mechanical recycling struggles to achieve closed-loop material circulation...
Only an estimated 9% of all plastic ever manufactured has been recycled, and the remainder persists in landfills, oceans, and, increasingly, in the human body as micro- and nanoplastics. Closing this loop demands chemistry that goes beyond shredding and remelting. This review surveys the mechanistically distinct strate...
Bo-Han Li, Xiao Wang, Xin-Ying Kong et al.· Sustainable Science and Inno...· 0 citations
Chemical recycling of polyesters to re-form the constituent monomers is essential for a circular plastic economy. The ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) of epoxides and cyclic anhydrides represents an important route to polyesters and has received considerable attention over the past decades. In contrast, the chem...
Xin Cai, Yan-Li Zhang, Long Liu et al.· Macromolecules· 0 citations
Chemical recycling of plastic waste into value-added chemicals represents a key strategy for advancing a circular plastics economy. Herein, we report the first systematic application of commercially available Florisil® as an inexpensive, readily available heterogeneous catalyst for the alcoholysis of polyester and poly...
Euclydes P. Neto, Ana C. Fernandes· Catalysts· 0 citations
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