SusChEM: BPA Replacement with Non-Toxic Biobased Monomers

非技术性：目前塑料工业中使用的许多化学品都是有毒的，对人类健康和环境造成不利影响。该SusChEM研究项目的目标是取代在一些塑料、涂料和粘合剂中广泛使用的一种众所周知的内分泌干扰(ED)化学物质，称为双酚A(BPA)。双酚A将被具有以下重要属性的新型生物替代品取代：(A)可再生资源：使用来自可再生资源的化学品合成，如木质素，这是世界上最丰富的树木和植物可再生资源；(B)特性：在食品容器、聚碳酸酯、复合树脂和环氧胶粘剂等大量应用中具有类似于石油化学品的高性能特性；(C)毒性：对人类健康和环境的影响最小，碳足迹低；(D)成本：在涂料、复合材料、汽车和可再生能源领域以低成本大量生产。这一重大的智力挑战将以一种独特的方式解决，采用多学科方法，以最佳方式整合绿色化学、聚合物科学、结构-财产关系、毒性和可再生资源。技术：该SusChEM研究项目的目标是用生物基替代物如双愈创木酚F(BGF)取代众所周知的内分泌干扰(ED)单体双酚A(BPA)，它将具有以下重要属性：(A)使用可再生资源的单体合成；(B)与共单体一起用于高性能聚碳酸酯、复合树脂和粘合剂中时，具有与石油基化学品相似的热和机械性能；(C)具有低ED和环境毒性，以及(D)在涂料、复合材料、汽车食品包装和可再生能源领域以低成本大量生产。该项目涉及合成、聚合物表征、材料结构性能以及计算和实验毒性研究。这项研究的最大可持续性影响将来自于从可再生资源中提供双酚A的无毒替代品，这将确保未来高性能塑料和复合材料的供应，同时支持食品包装行业、风力涡轮机行业的可再生能源发展以及下一代基于复合材料、省油、轻量化的汽车所需的大量需求。

NON-TECHNICAL:Many chemicals used in the plastics industry today are known to be toxic with adverse effects on human health and the environment. The objective of this SusChEM research project is to replace a well-known endocrine disrupting (ED) chemical used extensively in some plastics, coatings and adhesives called Bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA will be replaced with new biobased substitutes that will have the following important attributes: (a) Renewable Resources: Be synthesized using chemicals derived from renewable resources such as lignin, which is the world's most abundant renewable resource from trees and plants; (b) Properties: Have similar high performance properties to petroleum-based chemicals when used in such high volume applications as food containers, polycarbonates, composite resins and epoxy adhesives; (c) Toxicity: Have minimal impact on human health and the environment and have a low carbon-footprint; (d) Cost: Be produced in high volumes at low cost for the coatings, composites, automotive and renewable energy fields. This grand intellectual challenge will be tackled in a unique manner using a multidisciplinary approach which optimally integrates green chemistry, polymer science, structure-property relations, toxicity and renewable resources. TECHNICAL:The objective of this SusChEM research project is to replace a well-known endocrine disrupting (ED) monomer, Bisphenol-A (BPA), with a library of biobased substitutes such as Bisguaiacol-F (BGF) that will have the following important attributes: (a) Be synthesized using monomers from renewable resources such as guaiacol and vanillin from lignin; (b) Have similar thermal and mechanical properties to petroleum-based chemicals when used with co-monomers in high-performance polycarbonates, composite resins and adhesives; (c) Have low ED and environmental toxicity and (d) Be produced in high volumes at low cost for the coatings, composites, automotive food packaging and renewable energy fields. The project involves synthesis, polymer characterization, materials structure-properties, and computational and experimental toxicity studies. The greatest sustainability impact of this research will come from providing a non-toxic alternative to BPA from renewable resources that will both ensure future supplies of high-performance plastics and composites while bolstering the high volumes needed for the food packaging industry, renewable energy development in the wind turbine industry and the next generation of composite-based, fuel efficient, light-weight automobiles.