Novel Simple Approach for Production of Elastic Poly(propylene carbonate).

The simple approach of increasing the elastic properties of atactic poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) with Mn = 71.4 kDa, ĐM = M/M = 1.86, and predominantly carbonate units (>99%) is suggested by selecting the appropriate hot pressing temperature for PPC between 110 and 140 °C.

The Role of Ligand Exchange in Salen Cobalt Complexes in the Alternating Copolymerization of Propylene Oxide and Carbon Dioxide.

A comparative study of the copolymerization of racemic propylene oxide (PO) with CO catalyzed by racemic (salcy)CoX (salcy = ,'-bis(3,5-di--butylsalicylidene)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane; X = perfluorobenzoate (OBzF) or 2,4-dinitrophenoxy (DNP)) in the presence of a [PPN]Cl ([PPN] = bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium) cocatalyst is performed in bulk at 21 °C and a 2.5 MPa pressure of CO. The increase in the nucleophilicity of an attacking anion results in the increase in the copolymerization rate.

In Situ Formation of Acidic Comonomer during Thermal Treatment of Copolymers of Acrylonitrile and Its Influence on the Cyclization Reaction.

Binary and ternary copolymers of acrylonitrile (AN), -butyl acrylate (TBA), and -butyl acrylate (BA) are synthesized through conventional radical polymerization in DMSO in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. The thermal behavior of binary and ternary copolymers is studied under argon atmosphere and in air. It is demonstrated that the copolymers of AN contain 1-10 mol.

Degradation of high concentrations of commercial polylactide packaging on food waste composting in pilot-scale test.

The increasing use of synthetic biodegradable polymers, such as aliphatic polyesters, has led to a greater need to understand their behavior in an end-of-life scenario as food packaging materials. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect on composting of high to 10 wt% concentration of commercial polylactide packaging in food waste during a 98-day pilot-scale test. Members of the genera Bacillus, Geobacillus, Caldibacillus, Compostibacillus, Novibacillus, Planifilum and Aeribacillus accounted for 77 % of the bacterial community at the initial stage.

Degradation of Structurally Modified Polylactide under the Controlled Composting of Food Waste.

The degradation of polylactide (PLA) films of different structures under conditions of controlled composting has been studied. We have demonstrated that PLA underwent degradation within one month in a substrate that simulated standard industrial composting. Regardless of the initial structure of the samples, the number-average molecular weight (M) decreased to 4 kDa while the degree of crystallinity increased to about 70% after 21 days of composting.