Baby diapers that boast of superabsorbent material leaving infants feeling comfortable for a longer period of time ends up polluting the environment. The material used in the diapers is made up of the polymer polyacrylic acid. To tackle the issue of pollution produced by these non-biodegradable materials adding up to the plastic pollution of our planet a group of scientists at the University of Michigan have devised a method to untangle the absorbent polymers and recycle them into materials that are similar to the gooey adhesives used in sticky notes and bandages.
Published in the Nature Communications, the study included Anne McNeil, professor of chemistry and macromolecular science and engineering, and Takunda Chazovachii, who graduated from University of Michigan with his doctoral degree in polymer chemistry. The group worked together with the American consumer goods corporation, Procter & Gamble to develop a three-step process that turns superabsorbent polymers into reusable adhesives. Describing it as a form of chemical recycling, the method used to recycle the used diapers needed to be energy-efficient and able to be deployed on an industrial scale, mentions the press release.
In a press statement Chazovachii said that the superabsorbent polymers are particularly difficult to recycle because they are designed to resist degradation and retain water permanently. The statement further mentioned that the superabsorbent polymers and adhesives are both derived from acrylic acid. Considering this common denominator, the researchers were inspired to take on chemical recycling.
Corresponding author of the paper, McNeil said that the superabsorbent materials made of polymers resemble a loosely woven fishing net. However, in this case instead of a honeycomb pattern, the polymers had a crosslink every 2,000 units, which the team of scientists found more than enough to create an insoluble structure. The researchers were faced with a challenge to find a way to break the network polymer into water soluble chains. They found their answer when the polymers were heated either in the presence of acid or base. The process led to breaking of bonds.
With the help of assisting scientists, the research team finally procured the adhesive out of the broken polymer chain.
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