Degradable bio-based polymers
AssigneesThe Regents of the University of California, Algenesis Corporation
InventorsStephen Mayfield, Robert Pomeroy, Michael Burkart, Natasha Gunawan, Ariel Schreiman, Marissa Tessman, Nitin Neelakantan, Ryan Simkovsky
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are bio-based polymers, methods to prepare the same, bio-based polymer products, methods to degrade the same, and methods to recycle the same.
Claims20
A method to biodegrade a bio-based polymer product, the method comprising incubating the bio-based polymer product with a first microorganism, wherein:
- the bio-based polymer product comprises a bio-based polymer;
- the bio-based polymer is a polyurethane;
- and
- incubation of the bio-based polymer product with the first microorganism degrades the bio-based polymer to subunits comprising a di-carboxylic acid, a diol, or a combination thereof;
- wherein the diol is selected from ethylene glycol;
- 1,2 propanediol;
- 1,3-propanediol;
- glycerol;
- 1,3-butanediol;
- 1,4-butanediol;
- 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol;
- 2,3-butanediol;
- trimethylolpropane;
- 1,5-pentanediol;
- 1,6-hexanediol;
- 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol;
- 1,7-heptanediol;
- 1,8-octanediol;
- 1,9-nonanediol;
- 1,10-decanediol;
- or a combination of two or more thereof;
- and wherein the bio-based polymer product further comprises a rate-regulating compound, and the rate-regulating compound comprises a salt selected from CaCl2, Na2HPO4, KH2PO4, NaCl, NH4Cl, MgSO4, NaNO3, NaH2PO4, FeCl3, or a combination of two or more thereof.
A method to degrade a bio-based polymer product, the method comprising incubating the bio-based polymer product with an acid or a base, wherein:
- the bio-based polymer product comprises a bio-based polymer;
- the bio-based polymer is a polyurethane;
- the acid is selected from hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, or perchloric acid, or a combination of two or more thereof,
- the base is selected from lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, strontium hydroxide, or barium hydroxide, or a combination of two or more thereof, and
- incubation of the bio-based polymer product with the acid or the base degrades the bio-based polymer to subunits comprising a di-carboxylic acid, a diol, or a combination thereof;
- wherein the diol is selected from ethylene glycol;
- 1,2 propanediol;
- 1,3-propanediol;
- glycerol;
- 1,3-butanediol;
- 1,4-butanediol;
- 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol;
- 2,3-butanediol;
- trimethylolpropane;
- 1,5-pentanediol;
- 1,6-hexanediol;
- 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol;
- 1,7-heptanediol;
- 1,8-octanediol;
- 1,9-nonanediol;
- 1,10-decanediol;
- or a combination of two or more thereof.
A method of recycling a bio-based polymer product, the method comprising:
- incubating a bio-based polymer product under a condition to generate a mixture of subunits from depolymerization of the bio-based polymer;
- purifying the mixture to obtain one or more isolated subunits;
- and
- synthesizing a pre-polymer comprising at least one of the one or more isolated subunits;
- wherein
- the bio-based polymer product comprises a bio-based polymer;
- the bio-based polymer is a polyurethane;
- and
- the subunits comprise a di-carboxylic acid, a diol, or a combination thereof;
- wherein the diol is selected from ethylene glycol;
- 1,2 propanediol;
- 1,3-propanediol;
- glycerol;
- 1,3-butanediol;
- 1,4-butanediol;
- 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol;
- 2,3-butanediol;
- trimethylolpropane;
- 1,5-pentanediol;
- 1,6-hexanediol;
- 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol;
- 1,7-heptanediol;
- 1,8-octanediol;
- 1,9-nonanediol;
- 1,10-decanediol;
- or a combination of two or more thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.