This presentation addresses the mechanism of semicrystalline polyolefin dissolution as revealed through joint in situ infrared spectroscopy experiments [DOI: 10.1002/pol.20250207] and diffusion kinetics modeling [DOI: 10.1002/aic.15615].
The presentation also highlights the application for polyolefin recovery of switchable hydrophilicity solvents (SHS) that can cycle between a form that dissolves the target polymer and a form that does not, hence facilitating closed-loop solvent cycling.
The insights obtained from these studies facilitate the design of efficient solvent systems and processing conditions for the molecular recycling of polyolefins via dissolution/precipitation. Through this method, specific polymer types can be separated from mixtures or blends, purified from additives, and recovered for further processing, without negatively affecting the properties of the original polymers, and with minimal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.