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Plastics dissolution and recovery with sustainable solvents
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Resumo(s)
The plastic pollution crisis is one of the biggest environmental challenges faced today. Plastics and their waste are increasing at an alarming rate, reaching nearly 300 million tons per year, with only 10% being recycled. This leads to the rapid accumulation of plastics in the environment, creating an urgent need for more efficient and accessible recycling methods that preserve the quality of recycled polymers. Among the various processes, dissolution/precipitation, classified as a physical recycling method, emerges as a promising solution, enabling polymer recovery while maintaining its properties.
However, the use of conventional volatile organic solvents remains the most common approach, driving the search for more efficient and sustainable alternatives. This study aimed to analyze the dissolution of polystyrene (PS) in terpene-based alternative solvents and their eutectic mixtures at moderate temperatures. Initially,
predictive tools such as the COnductor-like Screening Model for Realistic Solvents (COSMO-RS) and the Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP) model were used to evaluate the dissolution capacity of various solvents. Subsequently, the most promising solvents
were experimentally tested to verify their effectiveness in dissolving PS. The COSMO-RS model indicated favorable dissolution of PS using methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl acetate, and p-xylene among conventional solvents, and carvone, fenchone, citronellal, and menthone among terpenes, while cyclohexane, ⍺-pinene, turpentine Pinaster, and turpentine Elliottii showed unfavorable interactions. The HSP methodology confirmed high compatibility of PS with carvone, fenchone, p-cymene, p-xylene, menthone, and limonene, moderate compatibility with β-pinene, ethyl acetate, and cyclohexane, and low compatibility with ethanol, methanol, and water.
Experimental validation of solvent performance in PS dissolution at 60 °C identified p-cymene and γ-terpinene as the most effective solvents. Both theoretical and experimental approaches demonstrated consistency in identifying p-cymene as a promising green solvent for PS dissolution.
Descrição
Mestrado de dupla diplomação com a Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná
Palavras-chave
Plastic pollution Physical recycling Green solvents Dissolution/precipitation Polystyrene COSMO-RS Hansen solubility parameters