KES9-0060
Improving Materials Sustainability – Linking Polymer Science and Life-Cycle Analysis
Topic
S9. Polymer Technology for Sustainability
When and Where
Sep 29, 2026
15:00 - 15:25
Room 313
Session Chairs
Jeyoung PARK
Presenter(s)
Thomas Epps (University of Delaware)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
As one strategy towards sustainable materials, approaches that valorize biomass and plastics waste have continued to emerge in recent years. A common methodology is deconstruction/depolymerization, whereby polymers are degraded into smaller molecules by various reaction pathways. The dynamics of these complex systems of molecules, with evolving molecular weights and molecular weight distributions that span the range from monomer up to commodity polymer, are a strong function of process technology. Hence, efficient development of deconstruction technologies and potential application-oriented use cases will benefit from simple and descriptive models that link material characteristics and process parameters to physical properties and product distributions. We have applied these models and learnings towards the realization of more sustainable bio-based and petroleum-based macromolecules. As one example, we have recently achieved the chemical recycling and upcycling of laboratory-based and commercial heteroatom-containing, petroleum-based feedstocks demonstrating the ability to chemically depolymerize both thermoplastics and thermosets back to monomers that can be repolymerized to generate new or upgraded polymeric materials. Additionally, we have begun to identify the impact of additives and impurities on the effectiveness and longevity of catalysts employed in deconstructing plastics waste to develop robust strategies for feedstock purification and catalyst regeneration. Overall, this work in bio-based and petrochemical macromolecules offers new pathways to ‘closing the loop’ on the life cycle for higher-performance and more sustainable polymer systems.
