More environmentally friendly! A new method for degradation of highly corrosion-resistant resins

2024,08,03

“This epoxy vinyl ester resin, which is widely used in high-strength, corrosion-resistant chemical environments such as chemical containers, pipeline interiors, and ships, is internationally recognized as a highly corrosion-resistant resin that is difficult to degrade in nature. We through the reaction solvent and catalyst adaptation, so that its degradation of the product, more conducive to recycling.” A few days ago, the reporter learned from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanxi Coal Chemical Institute, for the epoxy vinyl ester resin degradation, the Institute's research team has made new research progress, the relevant results recently published in the “Waste Management”.

It is understood that waste thermosetting epoxy vinyl ester resin is difficult to degrade in nature due to its special three-dimensional network structure. A large number of waste vinyl resins and their composites cannot be effectively treated, which not only causes waste of resources, but also produces serious land and marine pollution. Chemical recycling method is currently the most effective recycling method due to its mild recycling conditions and high recovery rate.

Hou Xianglin, a researcher from Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced that epoxy vinyl ester resin has a high degree of cross-linking, a low density of ester bonds, and contains solvent-resistant polystyrene chain segments, so its chemical depolymerization is more difficult compared to other thermosetting resins. At higher temperatures and catalyst concentrations, the chemical bonds in the resin break randomly to generate complex small molecule compounds, which is not conducive to the resourceful utilization of degradation products. For this reason, the team has shifted its research focus to the selective bond breaking of epoxy vinyl ester resins to prepare high value-added thermoplastic resin materials.

Figure 1: Chemical degradation of epoxy vinyl ester resins and application of the products to polyurethane synthesis

According to Hou Xianglin, the team has realized the controlled chemical degradation of epoxy vinyl ester resins and the recycling of high value-added degradation products by adapting reaction solvents and catalysts to efficiently degrade epoxy vinyl ester resins and their composites, and selectively breaking the ester bonds in the resins. The degradation system can be recycled and is also effective in the chemical degradation of unsaturated polyester resins, which has the prospect of industrialized application.

Fig. 2: Chemical degradation of unsaturated polyester resin-epoxy vinyl ester resin composites and recovery of glass fibers

The research results have been published recently, and the research team has applied for three national invention patents on chemical depolymerization and product reuse of vinyl ester epoxy resin, two of which have been authorized.

The research was also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Shanxi Provincial Key Research and Development Program, the Shanxi Provincial “1331 Program”, and the open project of Beijing Key Laboratory of Fuel Cleaning and High-Efficiency Catalytic Emission Reduction Technology.

Author:

Mr. Richard

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