IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i6p3583-d522746.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Multistage Chemical Recycling of Polyurethanes and Dicarbamates: A Glycolysis–Hydrolysis Demonstration

Author

Listed:
  • Pegah Zahedifar

    (Faculty of Applied Engineering, iPRACS, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Lukasz Pazdur

    (Faculty of Applied Engineering, iPRACS, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Christophe M. L. Vande Velde

    (Faculty of Applied Engineering, iPRACS, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Pieter Billen

    (Faculty of Applied Engineering, iPRACS, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium)

Abstract

The use of polyurethanes and, therefore, the quantity of its scrap are increasing. Considering the thermoset characteristic of most polyurethanes, the most circular recycling method is by means of chemical depolymerization, for which glycolysis is finding its way into the industry. The main goal of polyurethane glycolysis is to recover the polyols used, but only limited attempts were made toward recovering the aromatic dicarbamate residues and derivates from the used isocyanates. By the split-phase glycolysis method, the recovered polyols form a top-layer phase and the bottom layer contain transreacted carbamates, excess glycol, amines, urea, and other side products. The hydrolysis of carbamates results in amines and CO 2 as the main products. Consequently, the carbamates in the bottom layer of polyurethane split-phase glycolysis can also be hydrolyzed in a separate process, generating amines, which can serve as feedstock for isocyanate production to complete the polyurethane material cycle. In this paper, the full recycling of polyurethanes is reviewed and experimentally studied. As a matter of demonstration, combined glycolysis and hydrolysis led to an amine production yield of about 30% for model systems. With this result, we show the high potential for further research by future optimization of reaction conditions and catalysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Pegah Zahedifar & Lukasz Pazdur & Christophe M. L. Vande Velde & Pieter Billen, 2021. "Multistage Chemical Recycling of Polyurethanes and Dicarbamates: A Glycolysis–Hydrolysis Demonstration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3583-:d:522746
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3583/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3583/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gradus, Raymond H.J.M. & Nillesen, Paul H.L. & Dijkgraaf, Elbert & van Koppen, Rick J., 2017. "A Cost-effectiveness Analysis for Incineration or Recycling of Dutch Household Plastic Waste," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 22-28.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pablo Emilio Escamilla-García & Ana Lilia Coria-Páez & Francisco Pérez-Soto & Francisco Gutiérrez-Galicia & Carolina Caire & Blanca L. Martínez-Vargas, 2023. "Financial and Technical Evaluation of Energy Production by Biological and Thermal Treatments of MSW in Mexico City," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-14, April.
    2. Broberg, Thomas & Dijkgraaf, Elbert & Meens-Eriksson, Sef, 2022. "Burn or let them bury? The net social cost of producing district heating from imported waste," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    3. Elbert Dijkgraaf & Raymond Gradus, 2019. "More bottle banks only imply a small increase in recycling of glass in the Netherlands," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-088/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    4. Borazon, Elaine Quintana & Chuang, Hsueh-Hua, 2023. "Resilience in educational system: A systematic review and directions for future research," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    5. Elbert Dijkgraaf & Raymond Gradus, 2021. "Are Bottle Banks Sufficiently Effective for Increasing Glass Recycling Rates?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-11, August.
    6. Peter Birch Sørensen, 2017. "The Basic Environmental Economics of The Circular Economy," EPRU Working Paper Series 17-04, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    7. Ishimura, Yuichi, 2022. "The effects of the containers and packaging recycling law on the domestic recycling of plastic waste: Evidence from Japan," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    8. Balint Horvath & Edmund Mallinguh & Csaba Fogarassy, 2018. "Designing Business Solutions for Plastic Waste Management to Enhance Circular Transitions in Kenya," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-20, May.
    9. Andrzej Marcinkowski & Paweł Haręża, 2022. "The Effect of Heat Source on Cost of Preparation of Household Food Packaging Waste for Recycling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-13, August.
    10. Lorena De Medina-Salas & Eduardo Castillo-González & Mario Rafael Giraldi-Díaz & Víctor Guzmán-González, 2017. "Analysis of Economical and Environmental Costs for the Selection of Municipal Solid Waste Treatment and Disposal Scenarios through Multicriteria Analysis (ELECTRE Method)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-8, October.
    11. Yamamoto, Masashi & Kinnaman, Thomas C., 2022. "Is incineration repressing recycling?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    12. Shashi, & Centobelli, Piera & Cerchione, Roberto & Jhamb, Deepika, 2023. "Double-edged circularity: Comparative assessment of circular and non-circular consumers," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    13. Zhang, Junting & Qin, Quande & Li, Guangming & Tseng, Chao-Heng & Fang, Guohao, 2023. "Assessing the impact of waste separation on system transition and environmental performance through a city-scale life cycle assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    14. Laura Levaggi & Rosella Levaggi & Carmen Marchiori & Carmine Trecroci, 2020. "Waste-to-Energy in the EU: The Effects of Plant Ownership, Waste Mobility, and Decentralization on Environmental Outcomes and Welfare," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-12, July.
    15. Javad Torkashvand & Mohammad Mahdi Emamjomeh & Mitra Gholami & Mahdi Farzadkia, 2021. "Analysis of cost–benefit in life-cycle of plastic solid waste: combining waste flow analysis and life cycle cost as a decision support tool to the selection of optimum scenario," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(9), pages 13242-13260, September.
    16. Raymond Gradus, 2020. "Postcollection Separation of Plastic Recycling and Design-For-Recycling as Solutions to Low Cost-Effectiveness and Plastic Debris," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-12, October.
    17. Nainggolan, Doan & Pedersen, Anders Branth & Smed, Sinne & Zemo, Kahsay Haile & Hasler, Berit & Termansen, Mette, 2019. "Consumers in a Circular Economy: Economic Analysis of Household Waste Sorting Behaviour," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 1-1.
    18. Deger Saygin & Dolf Gielen, 2021. "Zero-Emission Pathway for the Global Chemical and Petrochemical Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-28, June.
    19. Elbert Dijkgraaf & Raymond Gradus, 2020. "Post-collection Separation of Plastic Waste: Better for the Environment and Lower Collection Costs?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(1), pages 127-142, September.
    20. Hui Feng & Yirong Li & Renyan Mu & Lei Wu, 2023. "The Impact of Investment Efficiency in the Digital Economy on Urban Waste Reduction: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-15, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3583-:d:522746. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.