Open AccessHydrogenative Depolymerization of End‐of‐Life Polycarbonates by an Iron Pincer Complex
Author(s) -
Alberti Christoph,
Fedorenko Elena,
Enthaler Stephan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistryopen
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 29
ISSN - 2191-1363
DOI - 10.1002/open.202000161
Subject(s) - depolymerization , bisphenol a , polycarbonate , chemistry , monomer , carbonate , polymer chemistry , propylene carbonate , catalysis , organic chemistry , polymer , pincer movement , epoxy , electrode , electrochemistry
Chemical recycling processes can contribute to a resource‐efficient plastic economy. Herein, a procedure for the iron‐catalyzed hydrogenation of the carbonate function of end‐of‐life polycarbonates under simultaneous depolymerization is presented. The use of a straightforward iron pincer complex leads to high rate of depolymerization of poly(bisphenol A carbonate) and poly(propylene carbonate) yielding the monomers bisphenol A and 1,2‐propanediol, respectively, as products under mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the iron complex was able to depolymerize polycarbonates containing goods and mixture of plastics containing polycarbonates.