SURE-Poly · Sustainable and Recyclable Polymeric Thermosets

Sustainable and Recyclable Polymeric Thermosets

The SURE-Poly project focuses on developing sustainable thermoset materials through an integrated approach. This involves utilizing renewable precursors derived from agro-alimentary and biomass waste, while simultaneously incorporating dynamic covalent bonds into polymeric networks to impart recyclable properties to the thermosets. The concerns connected to petroleum-based origin of polymeric materials and the problems related to the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment need an urgent solution. One possible strategy to address this dramatic situation is the exploitation of bio-based resources as precursors for polymers. The human activity produces 998 milion tonnes of agricultural waste and similar amount of food-waste are produced. The valorization of these wastes could be of paramount importance, but complex at the same time. In fact, finding a way to convert waste into added value products is the actual concern of most of the researchers in order to become greener and more sustainable. The use of biobased polymers, monomers and oligomers can represent a green alternative since they are based on renewable resources and possess low CO2 emissions. One promising strategy to achieve sustainable and recyclable thermosets is the implementation of dynamicity in crosslinked polymeric materials. This can be imparted into the polymeric networks by the presence of labile noncovalent and dynamic bonds capable of undergoing reversible formation and cleavage giving to the corresponding materials innovative recyclability properties. Within this frame, this project aims to face the complex challenge of the production of sustainable and recyclable polymeric thermosets. The proposed target can be reached by exploiting the peculiar properties of dynamic covalent polymeric networks, which allows a direct recyclability or reprocessability of thermosets, together with the use of bio-based polymeric precursors. Therefore, the integration of dynamic covalent properties with bio-based materials appears a great combination of choice to achieve the expected aim, which goes beyond the state of the art, by put together sustainability and recyclability of advanced polymeric composites.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union