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One-Pot Reaction of Waste PET to Flame Retardant Polyurethane Foam, via Deep Eutectic Solvents-Based Conversion Technology

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Abstract

Depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a promising technology for producing recycled monomers. Using a deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based catalyst, the PET glycolysis process produces bis-(2-hydroxyethylene terephthalate) (BHET). This recycled monomer reacts with isocyanate and forms polyurethane foam (PUF). The DES-based one-pot reaction is advantageous because it is a low-energy process that requires relatively lower temperatures and reduced reaction times. In this study, choline chloride/urea, zinc chloride/urea, and zinc acetate/urea based DESs were adopted as DES catalysts for glycolysis. Subsequently, the conversion of PET, BHET yield, and OH values were evaluated. Both filtered and unfiltered reaction mixtures were used as polyols for PUF polymerization after characterization of the acid and hydroxyl values of the polyols, as well as the NCO (–N=C=O) value of isocyanate. In the case of unfiltered reaction mixtures, PUF was obtained via a one-pot reaction, which exhibited higher thermal stability than PUF made from the filtered polyols. This outcome indicated that oligomeric BHET containing many aromatic moieties in unfiltered polyols contributes to the thermal stability of PUF. This environmentally friendly and relatively simple process is an economical approach for upcycling waste PET.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology and the Chung-Ang University Research Grant in 2020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Seoul, 06974, Korea

    Pyung Soo Lee & Elsa Tsegay Tikue

  2. Department of Intelligent Energy and Industry, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Seoul, 06974, Korea

    Pyung Soo Lee & Elsa Tsegay Tikue

  3. Green Carbon Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeongro, Yuseong, Daejeon, 34114, Korea

    Sun-Chul Kim & Simon MoonGeun Jung

Authors
  1. Pyung Soo Lee
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  2. Sun-Chul Kim
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  3. Elsa Tsegay Tikue
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  4. Simon MoonGeun Jung
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Contributions

PS analyzed and interpreted the data. SC and Elsa created the diagram and performed the experiments. SMG analyzed and interpreted the data, especially the kinetics. PS was a major contributor in writing the manuscript, and SMG supervised the project. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Simon MoonGeun Jung.

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Lee, P.S., Kim, SC., Tikue, E.T. et al. One-Pot Reaction of Waste PET to Flame Retardant Polyurethane Foam, via Deep Eutectic Solvents-Based Conversion Technology. J Polym Environ 30, 333–343 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-021-02202-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-021-02202-6

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