Designed to Degrade: Tailoring Polyesters for Circularity

Overview

Journal Chem Rev

Publisher American Chemical Society

Specialty Chemistry

Date 2024 Jun 27

PMID 38936815

Authors

Celine V Aarsen

Anna Liguori

Rebecca Mattsson

Mika H Sipponen

Minna Hakkarainen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A powerful toolbox is needed to turn the linear plastic economy into circular. Development of materials designed for mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and/or biodegradation in targeted end-of-life environment are all necessary puzzle pieces in this process. Polyesters, with reversible ester bonds, are already forerunners in plastic circularity: poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is the most recycled plastic material suitable for mechanical and chemical recycling, while common aliphatic polyesters are biodegradable under favorable conditions, such as industrial compost. However, this circular design needs to be further tailored for different end-of-life options to enable chemical recycling under greener conditions and/or rapid enough biodegradation even under less favorable environmental conditions. Here, we discuss molecular design of the polyester chain targeting enhancement of circularity by incorporation of more easily hydrolyzable ester bonds, additional dynamic bonds, or degradation catalyzing functional groups as part of the polyester chain. The utilization of polyester circularity to design replacement materials for current volume plastics is also reviewed as well as embedment of green catalysts, such as enzymes in biodegradable polyester matrices to facilitate the degradation process.

Citing Articles

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PMID: 39997131 PMC: 11852938. DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics10020108.

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