Studying the Main Laws Governing the Base-Catalyzed Glycolysis of Polycarbonate Plastics

Abstract— This study is focused on the effect of various base catalysts on the glycolysis of plastics based on bisphenol A (BPA) polycarbonate (PC). It has been found that the chemical degradation of PC under the action of ethylene glycol (EG) leads to the formation of the following high-added value products: BPA (PC monomer) and BPA–ethylene carbonate (EC)/(EG) co-ethers (monohydroxyethyl ether of BPA (MHE-BPA), bishydroxyethyl ether of BPA (BHE-BPA)). A quantitative assessment of the reaction product yields has been conducted. It has been found that, at a 100% PC conversion, the product yields are the following (%): BPA, 33; MHE-BPA, 50; and BHE-BPA, 17. In addition, the efficiencies of using various alkaline agents as a catalyst depending on the type of metal have been compared in this study.