Efficient Depolymerization of Polystyrene with Table
Salt and Oxidized Copper
Posted on 2022-04-28 - 14:16
The
global production of polystyrene (PS) has exceeded 15 million
metric tons in 2019 because of its widespread use in packaging and
nonpackaging sectors. Therefore, the development of efficient and
low-cost recycling strategies for PS is highly desirable. Herein,
we present a PS-depolymerization approach that can be performed in
the presence of table salt and an oxidized copper scrubber. The obtained
liquid portion has styrene content >83%. For the control sample
(without
NaCl or metal oxides), the styrene content was 66%. In addition, PS
depolymerization in the presence of oxidized copper produced the styrene
monomer in an 84% yield. The recovered styrene monomer was repolymerized
without further purification, and the thermal properties of the obtained
PS were evaluated. This work has the potential to facilitate the chemical
recycling of waste PS that is produced at a scale of 15 million tons/year
using environmentally friendly catalysts and energy-efficient process;
therefore, this study enables multiple green chemistry principles
such as waste prevention, energy-efficient processes, and environmentally
friendly catalysts.
CITE THIS COLLECTION
DataCiteDataCite
No result found
Kumar, Vikash; Khan, Ajmir; Rabnawaz, Muhammad (1753). Efficient Depolymerization of Polystyrene with Table
Salt and Oxidized Copper. ACS Publications. Collection. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c08400Â