2023-09-20 オークリッジ国立研究所(ORNL)
◆この技術は、非常に効率的な有機触媒を使用し、さまざまなプラスチック、消費者向けプラスチックの混合物を含むプラスチックを選択的に分解するもので、化学物質をプラスチック廃棄物から生産することは、従来の石油ベースの生産よりもエネルギー消費が少なく、温室効果ガスの排出も少ないとされています。この技術は、ネットゼロ社会への重要な一歩とされています。
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.ornl.gov/news/new-recycling-method-fights-plastic-waste
- https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/mh/d3mh00801k
テーラーメイド有機触媒による混合プラスチックの選択的分解 Selective deconstruction of mixed plastics by a tailored organocatalyst
Md Arifuzzaman,Bobby G. Sumpter, Zoriana Demchuk,Changwoo Do,Mark A. Arnould, Md Anisur Rahman,Peng-Fei Cao,Ilja Popovs,Robert J. Davis,Sheng Dai and Tomonori Saito
Materials Horizons Published:24 Jul 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D3MH00801K
Abstract
Plastic represents an essential material in our society; however, a major imbalance between their high production and end-of-life management is leading to unrecovered energy, economic hardship, and a high carbon footprint. The adoption of plastic recycling has been limited, mainly due to the difficulty of recycling mixed plastics. Here, we report a versatile organocatalyst for selective glycolysis of diverse consumer plastics and their mixed waste streams into valuable chemicals. The developed organocatalyst selectively deconstructs condensation polymers at a specific temperature, and additives or other polymers such as polyolefin or cellulose can be readily separated from the mixed plastics, providing a chemical recycling path for many existing mixed plastics today. The Life Cycle Assessment indicates that the production of various condensation polymers from the deconstructed monomers will result in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy input, opening a new paradigm of plastic circularity toward a net-zero carbon society.
