Development of Degradable Alternatives for Commercial Water-soluble Polymers

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Concerns are growing regarding the adverse effects of polymer/plastic pollution on human health, animals, and the environment. With global manufacturing and consumption of polymers continuing to grow, it is predicted that by 2050 there will be 12,000 tons of polymer waste accumulated in landfills and in the environment. A 2020 Canadian government report indicated that improper management of waste led to polymer pollution in surface waters, soil, groundwater, shorelines, drinking water, food and wildlife. While their useful lifetime often ranges from a few months to a few years, most polymers require tens to hundreds of years to degrade, depending on the conditions and specific materials. Biodegradable polymers, which can be broken down into harmless small molecules in the environment are a promising approach to reduce polymer pollution. In recent years, progress has been made in the development of biodegradable polymers to replace conventional polymers for applications such as food packaging. However, much less attention has been given to degradable alternatives for water-soluble polymers, which are also very difficult to isolate and recycle. This collaborative project with BASF will focus on studying and developing degradable alternatives to commercial water-soluble polymers. A series of polymers will be prepared and characterized. In addition, their biodegradability as a function of their structure will be studied. Their potential to replace current commercial polymers will be evaluated in application testing. It is anticipated that these alternative degradable polymers can replace conventional non-degradable polymers in applications such as water treatment, detergents, cosmetics and personal care products, oil processing, mining, and pulp and paper, which are all critical industries for Canada.