Ocean biomass-derived feedstocks for non-isocyanate polyurethane synthesis

Area of Science:

• Green Chemistry
• Polymer Science
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) offer a safer alternative to traditional polyurethanes.
• Valorization of waste streams from the aquaculture industry is an area of growing interest.
• Algae and fish oils are abundant, unsaturated feedstocks potentially suitable for polymer synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize NIPUs from waste fish and algae oil feedstocks.
• To investigate the biodegradability of fish-oil derived NIPUs.
• To characterize the properties of the synthesized NIPUs.

Main Methods:

• Epoxidation of carbon-carbon double bonds in fatty acid methyl esters derived from fish and algae oil.
• Reaction of epoxidized oils with CO2 to form cyclic carbonates.
• Polymerization of cyclic carbonates with bioderived amines from cashew nutshells.
• Characterization using infrared spectroscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis.
• Biodegradation studies using bacteria and fungi.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of NIPUs from both fish and algae oil derivatives.
• Fish-oil derived NIPUs demonstrated susceptibility to biodegradation by common microbes.
• Characterization confirmed urethane linkage formation and provided insights into the physical properties of the NIPU thermoset films.

Conclusions:

• Waste fish and algae oils are viable feedstocks for producing sustainable NIPUs.
• The developed NIPU synthesis route offers a promising avenue for waste valorization in the aquaculture sector.
• Algae represent a significant and underutilized source of biomass for advanced material production.