Platform for recyclable furan derivatives and plastics from lignocellulose

There is currently a great need to replace conventional plastics from fossil sources with biobased plastics from forrest-based renewable resources in order to reduce green house gas emissions and global warming.

The purpose of the project is to produce and investigate bio-based polyesters that meet the industry´s needs for competitive high-performance bio-based thermosets and thermoplastics. We will synthesize new innovative diester monomers from furan-containing building blocks originating from cellulose.

The monomers contain readily hydrolyzable cycloacetal groups, which makes the polymers tailored for chemical recycling.

Several series of high molecular weight thermoplastic polyesters will be made by polycondensations of the diester monomers and various bio-based diols to vary and control material properties and optimize the recyclability.

Thermosets will be prepared by thermally curing the polyesters via a Diels-Alder reaction between the furan groups in the polyesters and bismaleimides. This reaction reverses at higher temperatures, making the materials recyclable.

The choice of materials will be guided by life cycle assessments and toxicity studies, and the properties and recyclability of the various polyesters will be established.

Studies of various applications will be carried out in collaboration with industrial stakeholders to ensure that the developed methods are feasible, to promote commercialization and to support new innovations in the field of bioplastics.