Depolymerization of polystyrene under ambient conditions

Balema, Viktor P.; Hlova, Ihor Z.; Carnahan, Scott L.; Seyedi, Mastooreh; Dolotko, Oleksandr; Rossini, Aaron J.; Luzinov, Igor

doi:10.1039/d0nj05984f

Cited by 59 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Especially the detailed studies by Kausch on polymer degradation kinetics enabled novel insights into the mechanochemical degradation of polymers and led to the establishment of a variety of different systematic reports nowadays. [118][119][120][121][122][123][124] Choi and Peterson have initiated systematic studies on mechanical force-induced polymer degradation by ball milling, 117 revealing that milling frequency has the greatest impact on the degradation rate of polystyrene. For future studies, the balance between reaction and degradation rates must be considered to produce highmolecular-weight polymers.…”

Section: Mechanochemical Reaction Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mechanochemical synthesis of polymers

et al. 2022

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Section: Mechanochemical Reaction Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mechanochemical synthesis of polymers

et al. 2022

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“…Scott’s group coupled hydrogenolysis with aromatization to convert PE into a mixture of aromatic products with a Pt–Al 2 O 3 catalyst at 280 °C . There are also recent reports on mechanical milling depolymerization of PS into styrene …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging Plastic Recycling and Organic Catalysis: Photocatalytic Deconstruction of Polystyrene via a C–H Oxidation Pathway

Vijeta

Casadevall

et al. 2022

ACS Catal.

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Chemical recycling of synthetic polymers represents a promising strategy to deconstruct plastic waste and make valuable products. Inspired by small-molecule C–H bond activation, a visible-light-driven reaction is developed to deconstruct polystyrene (PS) into ∼40% benzoic acid as well as ∼20% other monomeric aromatic products at 50 °C and ambient pressure. The practicality of this strategy is demonstrated by deconstruction of real-world PS foam on a gram scale. The reaction is proposed to proceed via a C–H bond oxidation pathway, which is supported by theoretical calculations and experimental results. Fluorescence quenching experiments also support efficient electron transfer between the photocatalyst and the polymer substrate, providing further evidence for the proposed mechanism. This study introduces concepts from small-molecule catalysis to polymer deconstruction and provides a promising method to tackle the global crisis of plastic pollution.

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“…18 and the radical depolymerization of polymers with low ceiling temperatures. 19,20 However, such strategies are not considered viable for polyolefins due to the high strength and chemical inertness of the -bonds in their all-carbon backbones. As a result, feedstock recovery is the fate of less than 1 % of polyolefins.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical Recycling of Polyethylene by Tandem Catalytic Conversion to Propylene

Wang

Strong

DaSilva

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Although polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are by far the world’s largest volume plastics, only a tiny fraction of these energy-rich polyolefins is currently recycled. Depolymerization of PE to its constituent monomer, ethylene, is highly endothermic and conventionally accessible only through unselective, high temperature pyrolysis. Here, we provide experimental demonstrations of our recently proposed tandem catalysis strategy which uses ethylene to convert PE to propylene, the commodity monomer used to make PP. The approach combines rapid olefin metathesis with rate-limiting isomerization. Mono-unsaturated PE is progressively disassembled at modest temperatures via many consecutive ethenolysis events, resulting selectively in propylene. Fully saturated PE can be converted to unsaturated PE starting with a single transfer dehydrogenation to ethylene, which produces a small amount of ethane (one equiv. per dehydrogenation event). These principles are demonstrated using both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. While selectivity under batch conditions is limited at high conversion by the formation of an equilibrium mixture of olefins, high selectivity to propylene (≥ 94 %) is achieved in a semi-continuous process due to continuous removal of propylene from the reaction mixture.

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Depolymerization of polystyrene under ambient conditions

Abstract: Ball milling of polystyrene under ambient conditions in metal containing vials causes scission of macromolecules, resulting in partial dismantling to styrene. Reactions proceeds via intermediate carbon-based free radicals that are detectable by EPR.

Cited by 59 publications

References 34 publications

The mechanochemical synthesis of polymers

The mechanochemical synthesis of polymers

Bridging Plastic Recycling and Organic Catalysis: Photocatalytic Deconstruction of Polystyrene via a C–H Oxidation Pathway

Chemical Recycling of Polyethylene by Tandem Catalytic Conversion to Propylene

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