New method for chemical recycling of polyurethane waste

Polyurethanes are polymers formed by the reaction of isocyanates with polyo.

In terms of volume, polyurethane foam is the most important as a flexible or rigid foam, and the furniture market is the most important segme.

In addition, the global demand for polyurethane materials has continued to grow in recent years due to the increasing use of lightweight and insulating materials in other fields such as construction, electronics, automotive and packaging industry materia.

Critical Polyurethane Waste

Polyurethane waste disposal is a problem because many harmful chemicals such as isocyanates, hydrocyanic acid and dioxins are released when these substances are incinerat.

The growing focus on more sustainable production methods has led to research strategies such as mechanically recycling polymers .

With this in mind, a University of Illinois team led by Professor Steven Zimmerman developed a method for breaking down polyurethane waste and converting it into other useful produc.

Change the structure of polyols

Graduate student Ephraim Morado hopes to chemically repurpose polymers to tackle the problem of polyurethane was.

Polyols are the crux of the matter because they are derived from petroleum and are not easily degrad.

Degradation products formed by dissolving polymers with trichloroacetic acid and dichloromethane at room temperature can be used to produce new materia.

The researchers will report their findings at the American Chemical Society National Meeting and Expositi.

Professor Zimmerman commented that the biggest drawbacks of this new recycling method are the cost and toxicity of the raw materials used to carry out the reacti.

Although there is still a long way to go, this is an important first step in addressing the growing environmental probl.