Recycling of Polyurethane Film

Tan, Pang Sien (2025) Recycling of Polyurethane Film. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

This thesis investigates the recycling methods to recycled polyurethane (PU) was through three distinct chemical routes, which includes glycolysis method, acidolysis method and hydrolysis method. With the increasing accumulation of PU waste, this pose a serious environmental problem, thus development of efficient and sustainable recycling methods is crucial nowadays. In this study, the outcomes of each method will be studied systematically to explores the product recovered from recycling various type of PU, including polyether-based polyurethane (PEPU) and polyester-based polyurethane (PSPU). In short, all recycling method takes effect on the hard segment of PU. In all the methods, hydrolysis is most vigorous and reacts with urethane bonding and ether bonding. This results in ester polyol formation in hydrolysis of Polyester based Polyurethane while in hydrolysis of Polyether based Polyurethane, it converts PU into another compound with different chemical bonding and degradation temperature. As for glycolysis, it only affects the degradation temperature of hard segment in both PEPU and PSPU, results in its DSC thermograms and FTIR spectrum do not change significantly. As for Acidolysis reaction, it also targets hard segment as degradation of hard segment of recycled product changed after reaction, however the reaction is not selective since there are no significant changes occurred in its FTIR spectrum. As for DSC result, only hydrolyzed product show changes in glass transition temperature (Tg), which in hydrolyzed product, it shows decrease in its glass transition temperature which indicates increased mobility after reaction, which proof breakage of bonding occurred in reaction.