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Lenzi L, Degli Esposti M, Braccini S, Siracusa C, Quartinello F, Guebitz GM, Puppi D, Morselli D, Fabbri P. Further Step in the Transition from Conventional Plasticizers to Versatile Bioplasticizers Obtained by the Valorization of Levulinic Acid and Glycerol. ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING 2023; 11:9455-9469. [PMID: 37389191 PMCID: PMC10302884 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c01536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
In the last two decades, the use of phthalates has been restricted worldwide due to their well-known toxicity. Nonetheless, phthalates are still widely used for their versatility, high plasticization effect, low cost, and lack of valuable alternatives. This study presents the fully bio-based and versatile glycerol trilevulinate plasticizer (GT) that was obtained by the valorization of glycerol and levulinic acid. The mild-conditions and solvent-free esterification used to synthesize GT was optimized by investigating the product by Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectroscopy. An increasing content of GT, from 10 to 40 parts by weight per hundred parts of resin (phr), was tested with poly(vinyl chloride), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), poly(lactic acid), and poly(caprolactone), which typically present complicated processability and/or mechanical properties. GT produced a significant plasticization effect on both amorphous and semicrystalline polymers, reducing their glass-transition temperature and stiffness, as observed by differential scanning calorimetry measurements and tensile tests. Remarkably, GT also decreased both the melting temperature and crystallinity degree of semicrystalline polymers. Furthermore, GT underwent enzyme-mediated hydrolysis to its initial constituents, envisioning a promising prospective for environmental safety and upcycling. Furthermore, 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) tests, using mouse embryo fibroblasts, proved that GT is an unharmful alternative plasticizer, which makes it potentially applicable in the biomedical field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Lenzi
- Department
of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering (DICAM), Università di Bologna, Via U. Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy
- National
Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Micaela Degli Esposti
- Department
of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering (DICAM), Università di Bologna, Via U. Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy
- National
Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Simona Braccini
- National
Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Firenze, Italy
- BIOLab
Research Group, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, Università di Pisa, Via G. Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Chiara Siracusa
- Institute
of Environmental Biotechnology University of Natural Resources and
Life Sciences Vienna, Department of Agrobiotechnology, IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Felice Quartinello
- Institute
of Environmental Biotechnology University of Natural Resources and
Life Sciences Vienna, Department of Agrobiotechnology, IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Georg M. Guebitz
- Institute
of Environmental Biotechnology University of Natural Resources and
Life Sciences Vienna, Department of Agrobiotechnology, IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Dario Puppi
- National
Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Firenze, Italy
- BIOLab
Research Group, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, Università di Pisa, Via G. Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Davide Morselli
- Department
of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering (DICAM), Università di Bologna, Via U. Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy
- National
Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Paola Fabbri
- Department
of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering (DICAM), Università di Bologna, Via U. Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy
- National
Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Firenze, Italy
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Jagarlapudi SS, Cross HS, Das T, Goddard WA. Thermomechanical Properties of Nontoxic Plasticizers for Polyvinyl Chloride Predicted from Molecular Dynamics Simulations. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:24858-24867. [PMID: 37167600 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c02354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Environmental and toxicity concerns dictate replacement of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) plasticizer used to impart flexibility and thermal stability to polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Potential alternatives to DEHP in PVC include diheptyl succinate (DHS), diethyl adipate (DEA), 1,4-butanediol dibenzoate (1,4-BDB), and dibutyl sebacate (DBS). To examine whether that these bio-based plasticizers can compete with DEHP, we need to compare their tensile, mechanical, and diffusional properties. This work focuses on predicting the effect these plasticizers have on Tg, Young's modulus, shear modulus, fractional free volume, and diffusion for PVC-plasticizer systems. Where data was available, the results from this study are in good agreement with the experiment; we conclude that DBS and DHS are most promising green plasticizers for PVC, since they have properties comparable to DEHP but not the environmental and toxicity concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snigdha S Jagarlapudi
- Materials and Process Simulation Center (MSC), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Heaven S Cross
- Materials and Process Simulation Center (MSC), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Tridip Das
- Materials and Process Simulation Center (MSC), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - William A Goddard
- Materials and Process Simulation Center (MSC), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
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Hu Y, Sang R, Vroemans R, Mollaert G, Razzaq R, Neumann H, Junge H, Franke R, Jackstell R, Maes BUW, Beller M. Efficient Synthesis of Novel Plasticizers by Direct Palladium-Catalyzed Di- or Multi-carbonylations. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202214706. [PMID: 36468459 PMCID: PMC10107635 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202214706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
Diesters are of fundamental importance in the chemical industry and are used for many applications, e.g. as plasticizers, surfactants, emulsifiers, and lubricants. Herein, we present a straightforward and efficient method for the selective synthesis of diesters via palladium-catalyzed direct carbonylation of di- or polyols with readily available alkenes. Key-to-success is the use of a specific palladium catalyst with the "built-in-base" ligand L16 providing esterification of all alcohols and a high n/iso ratio. The synthesized diesters were evaluated as potential plasticizers in PVC films by measuring the glass transition temperature (Tg ) via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuya Hu
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V.Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a18059RostockGermany
- Organic Synthesis DivisionDepartment of ChemistryUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpBelgium
| | - Rui Sang
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V.Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a18059RostockGermany
| | - Robby Vroemans
- Organic Synthesis DivisionDepartment of ChemistryUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpBelgium
| | - Guillaume Mollaert
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V.Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a18059RostockGermany
- Organic Synthesis DivisionDepartment of ChemistryUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpBelgium
| | - Rauf Razzaq
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V.Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a18059RostockGermany
| | - Helfried Neumann
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V.Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a18059RostockGermany
| | - Henrik Junge
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V.Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a18059RostockGermany
| | - Robert Franke
- Evonik Performance Materials GmbHPaul-Baumann-Straße 145772MarlGermany
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische ChemieRuhr-Universität Bochum44780BochumGermany
| | - Ralf Jackstell
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V.Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a18059RostockGermany
| | - Bert U. W. Maes
- Organic Synthesis DivisionDepartment of ChemistryUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpBelgium
| | - Matthias Beller
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V.Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a18059RostockGermany
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Jamarani R, Erythropel HC, Nicell JA, Leask RL, Marić M. How Green is Your Plasticizer? Polymers (Basel) 2018; 10:E834. [PMID: 30960759 PMCID: PMC6403783 DOI: 10.3390/polym10080834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasticizers are additives that are used to impart flexibility to polymer blends and improve their processability. Plasticizers are typically not covalently bound to the polymers, allowing them to leach out over time, which results in human exposure and environmental contamination. Phthalates, in particular, have been the subject of increasing concern due to their established ubiquity in the environment and their suspected negative health effects, including endocrine disrupting and anti-androgenic effects. As there is mounting pressure to find safe replacement compounds, this review addresses the design and experimental elements that should be considered in order for a new or existing plasticizer to be considered green. Specifically, a multi-disciplinary and holistic approach should be taken which includes toxicity testing (both in vitro and in vivo), biodegradation testing (with attention to metabolites), as well as leaching studies. Special consideration should also be given to the design stages of producing a new molecule and the synthetic and scale-up processes should also be optimized. Only by taking a multi-faceted approach can a plasticizer be considered truly green.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Jamarani
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University St, Montréal, QC H3A 0C5, Canada.
| | - Hanno C Erythropel
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University St, Montréal, QC H3A 0C5, Canada.
- Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Yale University, 370 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - James A Nicell
- Department of Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada.
| | - Richard L Leask
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University St, Montréal, QC H3A 0C5, Canada.
| | - Milan Marić
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University St, Montréal, QC H3A 0C5, Canada.
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