Subcritical Hydrothermal Liquefaction as a Pretreatment for Enzymatic Degradation of Polyurethane.

ABSTRACT: Enzymatic digestion is a promising alternative in the upconversion of plastic waste compared to traditional chemical recycling methods, because it warrants the use of milder conditions. However, enzymes are hardly able to penetrate the bulk of the plastic material; thus, a pretreatment is necessary to promote the reaction. In this study we investigate hydrothermal liquefaction as a thermal pretreatment of a commercial polyurethane before performing an enzymatic digestion. The feedstock is a rigid polyurethane foam. The structure and chemical composition of the feedstock were analyzed through FTIR analysis and solid-state ¹³C NMR. The polyurethane was then subjected to hydrothermal liquefaction using either ultrapure water or KOH as a basic catalyst. Enzymatic digestion was then

SUBMITTER: Gallorini R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9607662 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature