Closed‑Loop Chemical Recycling System for Bio-based Polyurethane Foam
발표자
신지인 (인하대학교)
연구책임자
김희중 (인하대학교)
초록
내용
Polyurethanes (PUs) have been widely used in various industrial applications. However, like most commodity polymers, their fossil fuel origin, essential non-degradability, and non-reprocessability raise significant environmental concerns. While there have been efforts to develop sustainable PUs and PU foams addressing such issues, most studies remain at the proof-of-concept stage, limiting their real-world viability. Here, we synthesized chemically recyclable polyol, poly(dihydrofuran) (PDHF), via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), and subsequently used it in the foaming process with isocyanates. The resulting PU foam exhibited properties comparable to conventional PU foams. More importantly, the monomer could be efficiently recovered through a simple depolymerization–distillation process, achieving high yield and purity.