EFRI E3P: CAS: Transformative Upcycling of Polymers by Activating Chemistries

EFRI E3P：CAS：通过活化化学物质实现聚合物的转型升级循环

基本信息

批准号：
2132133
负责人：
Jason Bara
金额：
$ 199.99万
依托单位：
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2021-08-15 至 2025-07-31
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2132133&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
EFRI E3P CAS Transformative Upcycling

项目摘要

This project envisions a transformative “upcycling” of common end-of-life plastics (ELPs) by depolymerization (i.e., deconstruction) mechanisms that are achieved using “activating” chemistries. These activating chemistries are straightforward, scalable chemical reactions that modify the waste polymers such that the subsequent depolymerization products are much more valuable and useful than products obtained through conventional recycling or established depolymerization chemistries. This project focuses on enabling depolymerization and upcycling of two of the most difficult to recycle polymers - poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and polyurethane (PU) materials. The global demand for PVC and PU products continues to grow despite the lack of any viable recycling methods for these materials. This project will develop novel methods for converting waste PVC to small molecules that have existing uses as chemical intermediates, consumer products, solvents, and other end-uses. Similarly, polyurethane (PU) materials will be broken down into more valuable molecules via reactions that yield carbon-carbon double bonds in the final products. Oligomers (the products of partial depolymerization) derived from PVC and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) will be used to form thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Unlike thermoset elastomers, TPEs can be melted, molded, reprocessed, are potentially easier to recycle, and are much more valuable than typical thermoset elastomers and plastics. The project provides highly interdisciplinary research training for graduate and undergraduate students and creates an annual summer immersion experience for high school students in Tuscaloosa, AL. The summer immersion experience is expected to instill a personal investment in helping to eliminate ELPs from the environment and to explore the students’ interest in pursuing engineering as a career. A synergistic activity for high school students aligned with the American Chemical Society Project SEED is planned at Iowa State University.With support from the Engineering Directorate's Division of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities and the Division of Chemistry, this project will recover the intrinsic value “locked away” within ELPs by using activating chemistries that enable new depolymerization products from ELPs. These enabling technologies will incentivize recovery rather than disposal (which is a particular concern for “hard to recycle” materials such as PVC and PU), reduce dependence on petroleum resources, and prevent plastic wastes from polluting the environment. The project will create transformative new avenues for upcycling common ELPs via activating chemistries and subsequent depolymerization into value-added small molecules, including methods that recombine these molecules into more useful and durable polymer products. A fundamental understanding of how to convert these wastes into valuable small molecules will be gained through an integrated experimental-computational approach that examines the proper conditions for PVC and PU activation and depolymerization. The synthesis of TPE materials via partial depolymerization of PET and PVC and subsequent recombination of these oligomers promises to create much more valuable and useful polymer materials from waste. The research plan emphasizes understanding reaction mechanisms and selectivity, product analysis/identification, separation of the depolymerization products of PVC and PU, and characterization of TPE materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目设想通过“化学”这些激活化学，直接，可伸缩的化学反应来酸痛，通过解聚t进行了共同终止塑料（ELP）的变化，从而改变了这种聚合物。通过thileclingl Orbl的产物，该项目集中在聚合化学（PVC）（PVC）和聚氨酯（PU）材料上随着开发新方法将浪费浪费在将PVC转换为具有熄灭用途作为屁股的小分子，消费品，类似地，聚氨酯（PU）材料将被分解为更多的分子离子，这些分子在最终中产生碳碳双键的分子离子PRINGS研究生和地下学生的跨学科研究培训，并为塔斯卡卢萨（Tuscaloosa）的高中生创造了年度夏天的经验，预计夏天将灌输个人投资，以帮助他们从环境中提供帮助。 IETY项目种子是在爱荷华州立大学计划的。与工程学部的新兴领域和多学科活动和化学部的支持，该项目将通过使用Activatries来启用NEPOL，将其内在价值“锁定”技术将不进行抗激素而不是处置（诸如PVC和PU之类的材料），从而创造了变革性的新途径，以通过激活化学化学化学化学和随后的去解散为有价值的烟丝，将其重新包含在重新组合的方法中，将更多的抗抗糖症的方法包括在内。分子将获得分子的剥离，以检查pu和d的表现的适当条件，通过局部解聚TPE材料的合成。 PVC和PU的解聚产品的选择性，产品，产品分离以及TPE材料的表征。该奖项反映了NSF'Stutory Mission，并被认为值得支持基金会的知识分子和更广泛的影响审查标准。