Chemical Recycling of Flexible Polyurethane Foam WasteUsing Sebacic acid as an Acidolysis Agent

Acidolysis is emerging as an industrial method for recycling chemical polyurethane foam (PUF)waste. This study developed a novel, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective approach for thechemical recycling of flexible PUF waste using a virgin polyol-free acidolysis process. Sebacic acid(SA) was used to investigate the impact of chain length and molecular weight on PUF acidolysis. Thethermoset PUF was efficiently fragmented into small molecules and oligomers with hydroxyl groupsthrough the use of SA. The chemical structure of the recycled polyol (RP) was analyzed using Fouriertransform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and gel permeability chromatography (GPC). The obtainedRP can substitute %۰۵ of virgin polyol in the production of flexible PUF while maintaining themechanical properties of the recycled PUFs to meet commercial standards. This newly suggestedflexible PUF recycling process will contribute to a circular economy and sustainability, increasingthe recycling rate of flexible PUFs in the polyurethane industry.

کلیدواژه ها:

Recycling and environmental impact ، polyurethane foam ، acidolysis ، recycled polyol ، Sebacic acid ، sustainable chemistry.