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US 12,534,581 B2Granted
Closed-loop recycling of scalable plastics
AssigneeBoise State University
InventorsScott Phillips, Allison Christy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a nontoxic poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) (PECA) plastic. The PECA-based plastic is sourced from non-petroleum feedstocks and can be thermally and/or mechanically converted back to the ethyl cyanoacrylate monomer in a closed-loop recycling system with high monomer recovery. The disclosure also provides for methods of making the PECA plastics and methods of recycling the PECA plastics.
Claims19
A method for preparing a poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic comprising:
- polymerizing an ethyl cyanoacrylate monomer by combining the ethyl cyanoacrylate monomer with an initiator comprising a tertiary amine, a phosphine, an amine, an amine oxide, a betaine, a sulfoxide, or combinations thereof to form a poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate), and
- curing the poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) to form a poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic,
- wherein the curing occurs in a mold to prepare a product or article comprising the poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic or the method further comprises thermoforming the poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic into an article or product.
A method of recycling a poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic comprising:
- depolymerizing the poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic into an ethyl cyanoacrylate monomer by combining the poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic with a reagent comprising hydroquinone, molecular sieves, sodium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, calcium carbonate, or phosphorus pentoxide, or a combination thereof, heating the poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic and reagent to a temperature of from about 180° C. to about 220° C., and extracting the ethyl cyanoacrylate monomer;
- and
- repolymerizing the ethyl cyanoacrylate monomer into poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic by combining the ethyl cyanoacrylate monomer with an initiator comprising a tertiary amine, a phosphine, an amine, an amine oxide, a betaine, a sulfoxide, or combinations thereof to form a poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate), and curing the poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) to form a repolymerized poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) plastic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.