The sludge from wastewater treatment systems (WWTS) contains a high quantity of organic material with great potential for synthesising bio-based chemicals and materials that can replace their fossil-based equivalents. Herein, we have investigated the upcycling of WWTS to the production of bio-based crotonic acid (CA), which is in turn used in replacement of the commercial, fossil-based CA in the copolymerization with vinyl acetate to poly(vinyl acetate-co-crotonic acid). The results demonstrate that a great benefit in terms of GHG emission reduction is obtained when the fossil-based synthesis is replaced with the WWTS-to-CA route, decreasing the carbon footprint of CA from 13.9 to 7.75 kg CO2 per kg CA. The copolymers constituted from fossil-based or bio-based CA have the same composition and thermal properties, independently of the origin and the purity of the starting CA monomer, suggesting their equivalency for the investigated application.
Poly(vinyl acetate-co-crotonic acid) from bio-based crotonic acid: synthesis, characterization and carbon footprint evaluation
Parodi, Adriano;Benelli, Tiziana;Ciacci, Luca;Galletti, Paola;Mazzocchetti, Laura;Torri, Cristian;Vassura, Ivano;Samori, Chiara
2023
Abstract
The sludge from wastewater treatment systems (WWTS) contains a high quantity of organic material with great potential for synthesising bio-based chemicals and materials that can replace their fossil-based equivalents. Herein, we have investigated the upcycling of WWTS to the production of bio-based crotonic acid (CA), which is in turn used in replacement of the commercial, fossil-based CA in the copolymerization with vinyl acetate to poly(vinyl acetate-co-crotonic acid). The results demonstrate that a great benefit in terms of GHG emission reduction is obtained when the fossil-based synthesis is replaced with the WWTS-to-CA route, decreasing the carbon footprint of CA from 13.9 to 7.75 kg CO2 per kg CA. The copolymers constituted from fossil-based or bio-based CA have the same composition and thermal properties, independently of the origin and the purity of the starting CA monomer, suggesting their equivalency for the investigated application.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
