Increasing the Biodegradability and Environmental Compatibility of Plastic Materials

拟议的研究人员网络由卡尔加里大学的3名学者组成，他们在配体的化学合成，有机金属络合物，C-H官能化和生物降解方面拥有所有必要的专业知识。在加拿大拥有多个工厂的主要聚乙烯制造商NOVA Chemicals的支持下，该研究人员网络将致力于通过使用塑料材料来解决两个环境挑战。通过将这一主要商业合作伙伴融入团队，NOVA Chemicals在将新发现融入实践方面具有独特的优势。该合作伙伴关系的目标是解决减少塑料材料对环境影响的两个挑战：1）我们将努力开发不含氟化烃的聚合所需的新型助催化剂，2）我们将开发所需的催化方法，以创建允许氧化和微生物降解塑料废物的技术。这项工作的潜在成果是开发不含有机氟的材料，这些材料符合经常被归类为多氟烷基物质（PFAS）的严格要求。除了建立一种减少进入垃圾填埋场的塑料废物量的工艺外，开发聚乙烯的功能化和降解工艺也将是将这些材料作为原料再利用并回收为其他有用的化学中间体的重要一步。这项拟议研究的潜在影响是提供低成本、轻质塑料材料的好处，同时继续提高聚乙烯材料的生物降解性和环境相容性。该提案通常被称为塑料的“循环经济”，将有助于推动聚乙烯行业从环境中去除潜在有害的氟化材料，并将废物回收/降解为增值材料。

The proposed network of researchers is composed of 3 academics from the University of Calgary who have all of the necessary expertise in chemical synthesis of ligands, organometallic complexes, C-H functionalization, and biodegradation. With the support NOVA Chemicals, a major polyethylene manufacturer with multiple sites located in Canada, this network of researchers will work to address two of the environmental challenges with the use of plastic materials. By integrating this major commercial partner into the team, NOVA Chemicals is uniquely positioned to integrate new discoveries into practice. The goals of this partnership are to address two of the challenges in reducing the environmental impact of plastic materials: 1) we will work to develop novel co-catalysts required for polymerization that do not contain fluorinated hydrocarbons, and 2) we will develop catalytic methods required to create the technology allowing the oxidation and microbial degradation of plastic waste. The potential outcomes of this work are the development of organofluorine-free materials that align with strict requirements frequently classified as polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). In addition to establishing a process for reducing the amount of plastic waste going to landfills, developing functionalization and degradation processes on polyethylene would also be a significant step toward reusing these materials as feedstocks and recycled into other useful chemical intermediates. The potential impact of this proposed research is to provide the benefits of low-cost, light weight plastic materials while continuing to increase the biodegradability and environmental compatibility of polyethylene materials. Frequently referred to as the "circular economy" of plastics, this proposal will help move the polyethylene industry toward removing potentially harmful fluorinated materials from the environment and recycling/degrading waste into value-added materials.