Improved polymerization and depolymerization kinetics of poly(ethylene terephthalate) by co-polymerization with 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

Recyclable and (Bio)degradable Polyesters in a Circular Plastics Economy

Polyesters carrying polar main-chain ester linkages exhibit distinct material properties for diverse applications and thus play an important role in today's plastics economy. It is anticipated that they will play an even greater role in tomorrow's circular plastics economy that focuses on sustainability, thanks to the abundant availability of their biosourced building blocks and the presence of the main-chain ester bonds that can be chemically or biologically cleaved on demand by multiple methods and thus bring about more desired end-of-life plastic waste management options. Because of this potential and promise, there have been intense research activities directed at addressing recycling, upcycling or biodegradation of existing legacy polyesters, designing their biorenewable alternatives, and redesigning future polyesters with intrinsic chemical recyclability and tailored performance that can rival today's commodity plastics that are either petroleum based and/or hard to recycle. This review captures these exciting recent developments and outlines future challenges and opportunities. Case studies on the legacy polyesters, poly(lactic acid), poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s, poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(butylene succinate), and poly(butylene-adipate terephthalate), are presented, and emerging chemically recyclable polyesters are comprehensively reviewed.

Implementing a Doping Approach for Poly(methyl methacrylate) Recycling in a Circular Economy

To mitigate pollution by plastic waste, it is paramount to develop polymers with efficient recyclability while retaining desirable physical properties. A recyclable poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is synthesized by incorporating a minimal amount of an α-methylstyrene (AMS) analogue into the polymer structure. This P(MMA-co-AMS) copolymer preserves the essential mechanical strength and optical clarity of PMMA, vital for its wide-ranging applications in various commercial and high-tech industries. Doping with AMS significantly enhances the thermal, catalyst-free depolymerization efficiency of PMMA, facilitating the recovery of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with high yield and purity at temperatures ranging from 150 to 210 °C, nearly 250 K lower than current industrial standards. Furthermore, the low recovery temperature permits the isolation of pure MMA from a mixture of assorted common plastics.

Melt-spun bio-based PLA-co-PET copolyester fibers with tunable properties: Synergistic effects of chemical structure and drawing process

The fabrication of bio-based copolyester fiber with adjustable crystallization, orientation structure and mechanical property still remains a great challenge. In this study, a series of copolyester fibers based on terephthalic acid (PTA), ethylene glycol (EG) and l-Lactide (L-LA) were prepared via melt copolymerization and spinning. The resultant PLA-co-PET (PETLA) fibers exhibited tunable structure and property due to the synergistic effects of chemical structure and drawing process. The chemical structure of PETLA was confirmed by NMR, FTIR and XRD, which suggested that the random degree of copolymer increased with LA content and the viscosity decreased with the increase of LA content. The crystallization behavior, melting characteristic, thermal stability and rheological property were investigated by DSC, TGA and rheometer, the results indicated that all the PETLA exhibited the crystallization capacity, melting temperature and thermal stability were slightly affected by LA segment. The synergistic effects of LA segment and spinning process on PETLA structure and property were analyzed by WAXD and SAXS. The breaking strength of PETLA fibers dropped from 5.3 cN/dtex of PET to 2.8 cN/dtex of PET₈₅LA₁₅, which still met the requirements of most textile applications. Therefore, our work presented a feasible approach to prepare bio-based polyester fibers with tunable property.

Solubility of Biocompounds 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid and 5-Formylfuran-2-Carboxylic Acid in Binary Solvent Mixtures of Water and 1,4-Dioxane

The solubility of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and its synthetic intermediates (e.g., 5-formylfuran-2-carboxylic acid, FFCA) provides fundamental information for the preparation and purification of the value-added biocompound FDCA. We measured the solubility of FDCA and FFCA in binary water + 1,4-dioxane mixtures with different mixing ratios at 303.15 K–342.15 K. The obtained solubility values were correlated with the Jouyban-Acree-van’t Hoff model, and the preferential solvation theory was used to study the microscopic dissolution mechanism. The solubility of FDCA/FFCA increases with increasing temperature, and pure 1,4-dioxane dissolves more solutes than pure water. FFCA shows higher solubility than FDCA. In the binary solvent mixtures, the phenomenon of co-solvency exists for both FDCA and FFCA, i.e., at a 1,4-dioxane mole fraction of about 0.60, FDCA and FFCA dissolve the most. Acceptable mean percentage deviations (MPD) (5.5% and 6.9%) are obtained for FDCA and FFCA (Jouyban-Acree-van’t Hoff model). The calculated preferential solvation parameters show different dissolution mechanisms at different solvent compositions. When the 1,4-dioxane mole fraction is 0.17~0.62/0.63, FDCA/FFCA are preferentially solvated by 1,4-dioxane. Otherwise, they are preferentially solvated by water. A trend similar to the “co-solvency phenomenon” is observed in the differences in solubility of FFCA and FDCA. This study gives important guidance for the use of binary water and 1,4-dioxane solvents in practical FDCA purification.

Diverse Applications of Biomass-Derived 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and Derivatives as Renewable Starting Materials

This Review summarizes recent efforts to capitalize on 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and related furans as emerging building blocks for the synthesis of fine chemicals and materials, with a focus on advanced applications within medicinal and polymer chemistry, as well as nanomaterials. As with all chemical industries, these fields have historically relied heavily on petroleum-derived starting materials, an unsustainable and polluting feedstock. Encouragingly, the emergent chemical versatility of biomass-derived furans has been shown to facilitate derivatization towards valuable targets. Continued work on the synthetic manipulation of HMF, and related derivatives, for access to a wide range of target compounds and materials is crucial for further development. Increasingly, biomass-derived furans are being utilized for a wide range of chemical applications, the continuation of which is paramount to accelerate the paradigm shift towards a sustainable chemical industry.

Unsaturated Polyester Resin Nanocomposites Based on Post-Consumer Polyethylene Terephthalate

A method for producing nanocomposites of unsaturated polyester resins (UPR) based on recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a matrix has been proposed. The upcycling method involves three successive stages: (1) oligoesters synthesis, (2) simultaneous glycolysis and interchain exchange of oligoesters with PET, (3) interaction of the obtained resins with glycol and maleic anhydride. UPRs were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The mechanical properties of nanocomposites obtained on the basis of these resins and titanium dioxide have been investigated. It has been shown that 1,2-propylene glycol units, despite their lower reactivity, significantly improve the properties of UPR. The most promising nanocomposite sample exhibited tensile strength 112.62 MPa, elongation at break 157.94%, and Young's modulus 29.95 MPa. These results indicate that the proposed method made it possible to obtain nanocomposites with high mechanical properties based on recycled PET thus allowing one to create a valuable product from waste.