The Organic Chemistry Behind the Recycling of Poly(bisphenol-A carbonate) for the Preparation of Chemical Precursors. A Review

E. GILBERT; MARA POLO; JUAN MAFFI; J. GUASTAVINO; S. VAILLARD; DIANA ESTENOZ

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE PART A-POLYMER CHEMISTRY

JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2022 vol. 60 p. 3284 - 3317

0887-624X

Production and consumption of poly(bisphenol-A carbonate) resins are seeing aworldwide increase. However, their usage lifetimes are short and their final dispositionas landfills pose environmental and health risks, due to the release of toxic bisphenol-A(BPA). The development of alternative recycling routes is thus becoming subject ofincreasing interest. In this review, the main recycling processes of poly(bisphenol-Acarbonate) are described and critically compared, with special focus on the chemicalmechanisms. While mechanical recycling is possible, the end products are restrictedonly to polymer blends, whose main mechanical properties decrease with eachcompounding cycle. In turn, chemical recycling can produce BPA monomer and avariety of by-products that can be used in different industries, including the polymericfield, as synthesis reagents and precursors. The operation conditions of each methodare reviewed, as well as the different results obtained in terms of product yield,composition, selectivity and reaction times. Reaction mechanisms are described indetail and a view on the usability of each end product is offered.