Work

Upcycling of Polystyrene to Aromatic Polyacids by Tandem Friedel–Crafts and Oxidation Reactions

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Due to the high demand and the increasing production rate of plastic materials, vast amounts of wastes are generated every year. An important fraction of these wastes contain polystyrene (PS), which is seldom recycled, neither mechanically nor chemically. While several chemical recycling strategies have been developed, they are either very energy-demanding or produce chemicals that can hardly be employed in the synthesis of plastics (e.g., benzene and benzoic acid). Here, we report the upcycling of PS waste into aromatic polyacids, useful in polyester synthesis, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). To this end, a conventional Friedel–Crafts acylation was first investigated, to produce an acylated PS chain, using acetic anhydride and stoichiometric amounts of AlCl 3 . As a catalytic alternative, the alkylation of PS was studied, using InCl 3 and isopropyl acetate. The acylated and alkylated PS samples were then oxidized to produce terephthalic (TA), isophthalic (IPTA), benzoic (BA), and trimesic (TMA) acid.

Source: Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c13265

Authors: Nikolaos S. Giakoumakis, Carlos Marquez, Rodrigo de Oliveira-Silva, Dimitrios Sakellariou, Dirk E. De Vos

Institution: KU Leuven

Language: English

Topic: Polymer crystallization and properties

Subfield: Polymers and Plastics

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: green

Funders: Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, KU Leuven