VATIS UPDATE Article

Researcher Marc A. Hillmyer and colleagues at the University of Minnesota, the United States, have developed an efficient method to make a sugar-derived rubbery polyester compound called poly (β-methyl-δ-valerolactone), or PMVL. Renewable and degradable, PMVL was found to be able to replace petroleum-derived polyols in making both new chemically-recyclable polyurethanes thermoplastic polyurethanes and flexible foams. Using this new polymer, the researchers made flexible polyurethane foams that were comparable in performance to commercial analogs.

To test whether the foams could be recycled, the team first added a catalyst, then heated the materials to a high temperature. Through this process, the researchers recovered up to 97 percent of the starting β-methyl-δ-valerolactone (MVL) monomer in high purity. The researchers then used what they recovered to re-make PMVL with essentially identical properties. This recycling strategy bypasses many of the technical challenges that currently preclude the practical chemical recycling of PUs. Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation supported Center for Sustainable Polymers and the University of Minnesota.