The pollution of the environment—and particularly the oceans—by plastics of all kinds is alarming. Regardless of their source, microplastics are ingested by corals, phytoplankton, zooplankton, mollusks, and fish, where they can block the digestive tract but can also cause changes in growth or reproduction by disrupting their metabolism and endocrine system.
Polyurethane is one of the most difficult plastics to recycle, and its manufacturing process is highly polluting due to the toxic ingredients essential to its synthesis: isocyanates. Yet it is difficult today to do without these plastic foams; polyurethane is everywhere: in building insulation, mattresses, foam used in furniture and cars, shoes, and so on.
By exposing end-of-life polyurethane to
enzymes, the BioTeam led by Professor Luc Averous
(Institute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy, the Environment, and
Health [ICPEES], a joint unit of the CNRS and the University of Strasbourg) has developed a new recycling process that combines biotechnology and chemistry. This controlled enzymatic degradation process yields reusable “building blocks,” thereby producing a second-generation polyurethane for
manufacturing new objects—all without using toxic isocyanates.
A circular and sustainable process called “Chem-Biotech.”
Implementing a systematic recycling program for polyurethane would be another step toward reducing the spread of plastic particles in our environment—a great gesture for marine life.
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