Photochemical upcycling and recycling of plastics: achievements and future opportunities

Green Chemistry, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 26(15), P. 8528 - 8549

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Recent developments in the photochemical upcycling and recycling of plastics.

Language: Английский

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Industrial and Laboratory Technologies for the Chemical Recycling of Plastic Waste

ACS Catalysis, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 14(16), P. 12437 - 12453

Published: Aug. 5, 2024

Synthetic polymers play an indispensable role in modern society, finding applications across various sectors ranging from packaging, textiles, and consumer products to construction, electronics, industrial machinery. Commodity plastics are cheap produce, widely available, versatile meet diverse application needs. As a result, millions of metric tons manufactured annually. However, current approaches for the chemical recycling postconsumer plastic waste, primarily based on pyrolysis, lag efficiency compared their production methods. In recent years, significant research has focused developing milder, economically viable methods commodity plastics, which involves converting waste back into monomers or transforming it other valuable chemicals. This Perspective examines both cutting-edge laboratory-scale contributing advancements field recycling.

Language: Английский

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Sustainable thermochemical plastic valorization towards a circular economy: a critical review

Green Chemistry, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Emerging technologies-empowered thermochemical plastic valorization is developed for value-added products in green and practical manner, which are beneficial to achieving circular economy several UN sustainable development goals.

Language: Английский

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Mechanochemical Backbone Editing for Controlled Degradation of Vinyl Polymers

Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 63(33)

Published: May 27, 2024

The chemically inert nature of fully saturated hydrocarbon backbones endows vinyl polymers with desirable durability, but it also leads to their significant environmental persistence. Enhancing the sustainability these materials requires a pivotal yet challenging shift: transforming backbone into one that is degradable. Here, we present versatile platform for mechanochemically editing towards degradable polymer chains by integrating cyclobutene-fused succinimide (CBS) units along through photo-iniferter reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) copolymerization. Significantly, evenly insertion CBS does not compromise thermal or chemical stability rather offers means adjust properties polymethylacrylate (PMA). Meanwhile, reactive acyclic imide can be selectively introduced mechanochemical activation (pulse ultrasonication ball-milling grinding) when required. Subsequent hydrolysis groups enables efficient degradation, yielding telechelic oligomers. This approach holds promise inspiring design and modification more environmentally friendly editing.

Language: Английский

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Thermal Solution Depolymerization of RAFT Telechelic Polymers

ACS Macro Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 13(7), P. 806 - 811

Published: June 10, 2024

Thermal solution depolymerization is a promising low-temperature chemical recycling strategy enabling high monomer recovery from polymers made by controlled radical polymerization. However, current methodologies predominantly focus on the of monofunctional polymers, limiting material scope and pathways. Herein, we report telechelic synthesized RAFT Notably, observed significant decrease in molecular weight (Mn) during recovery, which contrasts minimal Mn shift polymers. Introducing Z groups at center or both ends polymer resulted distinct kinetic profiles, indicating partial bifunctional as supported mathematical modeling. Remarkably, featuring R-terminal showed up to 68% improvement overall conversion compared their analogues, highlighting potential these materials circular economy.

Language: Английский

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Open-Air Chemical Recycling: Fully Oxygen-Tolerant ATRP Depolymerization

Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 146(28), P. 18848 - 18854

Published: July 3, 2024

While oxygen-tolerant strategies have been overwhelmingly developed for controlled radical polymerizations, the low concentrations typically required high monomer recovery render solution depolymerizations particularly challenging. Here, an open-air atom transfer polymerization (ATRP) depolymerization is presented, whereby a small amount of volatile cosolvent introduced as means to thoroughly remove oxygen. Ultrafast (i.e., 2 min) could efficiently proceed in open vessel, allowing very retrieval be achieved ∼91% efficiency), on par with that fully deoxygenated analogue. Oxygen probe studies combined detailed kinetics revealed importance low-boiling point removing oxygen prior reaction, thus facilitating effective depolymerization. The versatility methodology was demonstrated by performing reactions range different ligands and at polymer loadings (1 M repeat unit concentration) without significantly compromising yield. This approach provides oxygen-tolerant, facile, efficient route chemically recycle ATRP-synthesized polymers, enabling exciting new applications.

Language: Английский

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Assessing the performance of sustainable luminescent solar concentrators based on chemically recycled poly(methyl methacrylate)

RSC Applied Polymers, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 2(4), P. 624 - 633

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

The performances of PMMA luminescent solar concentrators fabricated from virgin and recycled monomers were compared to highlight their similar efficiencies account for the effect purity latter on longevity device.

Language: Английский

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Photocatalytic Cracking of non‐Biodegradable Plastics to Chemicals and Fuels

Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 63(35)

Published: June 19, 2024

Plastic pollution is worsening the living conditions on Earth, primarily due to toxicity and stability of non-biodegradable plastics (NBPs). Photocatalytic cracking NBPs emerging as a promising way cleave inert C-C bonds abstract carbon atoms from these wastes into valuable chemicals fuels. However, controlling processes huge challenge, ascribed complicated reactions various NBPs. Herein, we summarize recent advances in CO

Language: Английский

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Copper and ZnO Dual-Catalyzed Photo-Assisted depolymerization of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) without deoxygenation

European Polymer Journal, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 220, P. 113429 - 113429

Published: Sept. 2, 2024

Despite significant advancements in thermal and photothermal depolymerizations, the success of these techniques relies on tedious deoxygenation procedures. Herein, we report development depolymerization technique efficient without prior deoxygenation, which was enabled by copper/ligand complexes inclusion (0.25 wt% relative to solvent) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals activated UV light. This approach tested for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) prepared atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP); effects solvent polarity activity ligands were investigated. Unexpectedly, a low-activity Cu-complex with 2,2'-bipyridyne ligand, combination low-polarity solvent, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, relatively high yields less than 1 h at 150 °C. Higher ATRP tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPMA) N,N,N',N'',N''-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) ligands, efficient, associated their decomposition and/or excessive formation radicals premature termination chain ends. The presented facile designed be used even partially aerated reactors, opening new avenues depolymerization.

Language: Английский

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Tackling Waste Polystyrene with Sunlight

ACS Central Science, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 11(1), P. 19 - 21

Published: Jan. 2, 2025

InfoMetricsFiguresRef. ACS Central ScienceASAPArticle This publication is Open Access under the license indicated. Learn More CiteCitationCitation and abstractCitation referencesMore citation options ShareShare onFacebookX (Twitter)WeChatLinkedInRedditEmailJump toExpandCollapse First ReactionsJanuary 2, 2025Tackling Waste Polystyrene with SunlightClick to copy article linkArticle link copied!Light-to-heat conversion by carbon black enables local heating depolymerization of polystyrene its monomer.Hyun Suk WangHyun WangLaboratory Polymeric Materials, Department ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5 8093, SwitzerlandMore Hyun Wanghttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2515-3906Athina Anastasaki*Athina AnastasakiLaboratory Switzerland*Email: [email protected]More Athina Anastasakihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6615-1026Open PDFACS ScienceCite this: Cent. Sci. 2025, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXXClick citationCitation copied!https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acscentsci.4c02187https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.4c02187Published January 2025 Publication History Published online 2 2025newsPublished American Chemical Society. licensed CC-BY 4.0 . License Summary*You are free share (copy redistribute) this in any medium or format adapt (remix, transform, build upon) material for purpose, even commercially within parameters below:Creative Commons (CC): a Creative license.Attribution (BY): Credit must be given creator.View full license*DisclaimerThis summary highlights only some key features terms actual license. It not has no legal value. Carefully review before using these materials. underCC-BY share(copy adapt(remix, below: Attribution *DisclaimerThis creator. View PublicationsPublished SocietySubjectswhat subjectsArticle subjects automatically applied from Subject Taxonomy describe scientific concepts themes article.DepolymerizationPlasticsRecyclingStyrenesWastesYou would want touch surface car on sunny summer day─it scorching! because phenomenon called "photothermal conversion," light-to-heat pigments surface. In issue Science, Stache co-workers exploit very chemically recycle (PS) monomer, styrene, an inexpensive ubiquitous material─carbon black. (1)PS, widely recognized use packaging disposable products, presents significant environmental challenge due low recycling rates accumulation landfills. Although mechanical methods exist, they limited inevitable degradation properties each cycle. via depolymerization, (2,3) which reverts PS back into styrene monomers, offers potential infinite but typically constrained high energy demands, requiring temperatures excess 400 °C. (4) Furthermore, bulk leads uncontrolled flux reactive intermediates, leading undesirable byproducts. Photochemical have also been limited, as often produce non-monomeric products (e.g., benzoic acid) thermodynamic challenges depropagation. (5)The authors present remarkably simple approach that addresses limitations leveraging photothermal agent. Their method achieves efficient visible light irradiation, creating localized thermal hotspots while maintaining subpyrolytic (Figure 1). Carbon (CB) cost-effective pigment used commercial such coffee cup lids. However, near-zero rate makes it burden. colleagues repurposed material, utilizing efficiency (i.e., fluorescence quantum yield) drives PS. As proof concept, synthesized particles embedded varying amounts CB emulsion polymerization maximize physical contact between polymer Upon irradiating PS-CB composites white LEDs, maximum yield 57% was achieved after 30 min. Remarkably, temperature during reaction remained below 150 °C, measured thermocouple, despite purely nature process. at noteworthy, particularly when compared conventional pyrolysis methods. Other reaction, including trimers, dimers, toluene, α-methylstyrene, accounted approximately 30% total small-molecule products. could reused multiple cycles, highlighting robustness methodology.Figure 1Figure 1. Depolymerization (co)polymers agents, developed co-workers. (1) Copyright 2024. The Authors. Society.High Resolution ImageDownload MS PowerPoint SlideThe agent.The versatility CB-based process demonstrated through application various styrene-based copolymers containing comonomers notoriously ceiling propensity depropagation). Copolymers incorporating methyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, isoprene were successfully depolymerized regenerate both comonomers, minor reduction overall efficiency.The methodology further validated postconsumer plastics. Black foam trays, food containers, lids─materials already contain black─were effectively 2). Even clear plastics addition CB. Importantly, robust against common contaminants, soy sauce sugar, yields their presence. Additionally, mixed plastic waste streams little 10% weight comparable yields. suggested contamination beneficial enhancing recycling. demonstration process's sustainability, sunlight instead LEDs source. By focusing natural onto Fresnel lens, impressive 80%. contribution direct effects concentrated unclear, photolysis backbone high-energy rays (λ < 300 nm) can ruled out lens made plastic.Figure 2Figure 2. either already-present additional black.High SlideThis recycling.The work team represents advancement chemical recycling, next step potentially involve scaling technology industrial applications. Light penetration carbon-black-filled inherently necessitating development specialized reactor designs extended times ensure consistent processing. Nevertheless, simplicity effectiveness method, coupled compatibility current streams, position promising candidate future technologies. addressing technical challenges, pave way scalable, energy-efficient solutions.The technologies.Author InformationClick section linkSection copied!Corresponding AuthorAthina Anastasaki - Laboratory Switzerland; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6615-1026; Email: protected]AuthorHyun Wang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2515-3906ReferencesClick copied! references other publications. 1Oh, S.; Jiang, H.; Kugelmass, L. Stache, E. Recycling Post-Consumer Using Commercial Plastic Additives. 2024, DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.4c01317 Google ScholarThere corresponding record reference.2Coates, G. W.; Getzler, Y. D. J. N. R. M. monomer ideal, circular economy. Nat. Rev. Mater. 2020, (7), 501– 516, 10.1038/s41578-020-0190-4 Scholar2Chemical economyCoates, Geoffrey Yutan L.Nature Reviews Materials (2020), 501-516CODEN: NRMADL; ISSN:2058-8437. (Nature Research) Abstr.: majority post-consumer recycled. Impediments commodity polymers include sepn., impurities degrdn. macromol. structures, all neg. affect recycled An attractive alternative transform monomers purify them repolymn. form chem. we term (CRM). Material exhibits loss properties, Review our vision realizing economy based CRM. We examine energetics polymn. developing practical scalable CRM processes. briefly attempts achieve polymers, polyolefin thermolysis nylon 6 ring-closing depolymn., closely recent flourishing new-to-the-world polymers. benefits heterocycle ring-opening discussed synthetic control kinetically accessible polymer-backbone functionality. Common structural characteristics CRM-compatible ring-opening-polymn. identified, liabilities recyclable discussed. conclude perspective ideals opportunities field. >> SciFinder ®https://chemport.cas.org/services/resolver?origin=ACS&resolution=options&coi=1%3ACAS%3A528%3ADC%252BB3cXntVOmt7Y%253D&md5=ce62cb9ab02615ebcde8b8dd674aa2523Lohmann, V.; Jones, R.; Truong, P.; Anastasaki, A. thermodynamics kinetics depolymerization: what vinyl regeneration feasible?. Chem. 15 (3), 832– 853, 10.1039/D3SC05143A reference.4Lu, C.; Xiao, Chen, X. Simple valuable chemicals. e-Polym. 2021, 21 (1), 428– 432, 10.1515/epoly-2021-0037 reference.5Parkatzidis, K.; Wang, H. Photocatalytic Upcycling Vinyl Polymers. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 63 (19), e202402436 10.1002/anie.202402436 reference.Cited Click copied!This yet cited publications.Download PDFFiguresReferences Get e-AlertsGet e-AlertsACS copied!https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.4c02187Published 2025Published Article Views-Altmetric-Citations-Learn about metrics closeArticle Views COUNTER-compliant sum text downloads since November 2008 (both PDF HTML) across institutions individuals. These regularly updated reflect usage up last few days.Citations number articles citing article, calculated Crossref daily. Find more information counts.The Altmetric Attention Score quantitative measure attention research received online. Clicking donut icon will load page altmetric.com details score social media presence article. how calculated.Recommended Articles FiguresReferencesAbstractHigh SlideFigure SlideReferences There 2Chemical reference.

Language: Английский

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