Demonstrating the Efficacy of Core-Shell Silica Catalyst in Depolymerizing Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate (PC) is a highly versatile plastic material that is extensively utilized across various industries due to its superior properties, including high impact strength and heat resistance. However, its durability presents significant challenges for recycling and waste management. Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic polymer representative of the class of condensation reaction polymers obtained from the reaction of bisphenol A (BPA) and a carbonyl source, such as phosgene or alkyl and aryl carbonate. The recycling processes for PC waste include mechanical recycling, blending with other materials, pyrolysis, and chemical recycling. The latter is based on the cleavage of carbonate units to their corresponding monomers or derivatives through alcoholysis and/or hydrolysis and ammonolysis, normally under basic conditions and without catalysts. This study investigates the efficacy of the use of several heterogeneous catalysts based on silica gel as a robust support, including Sc(III)silicate (thortveitite), which has been previously reported for the preparation of polyesters, core-shell Si-ILs, and core-shell Si-ILs-ZnO, which has never been used before in the depolymerization of polycarbonate, proposing a sustainable and efficient method for recycling this valuable polymer. We chose to explore core-shell catalysts because these catalysts are robust and recyclable, and have been used in very harsh industrial processes. The core-shell silica catalysts used in this study were characterized by XRD; SEM_EDX, FT-IR, and ICP-OES analysis. In our experimental protocol, polycarbonate samples were exposed to the catalyst under controlled conditions (60–150 °C, for 12–24 h) using both oxygen and nitrogen nucleophiles. The depolymerization process was systematically monitored using advanced analytical techniques (GC/MS and GPC chromatography). The experimental results indicated that core-shell silica catalyst exhibits high efficacy, with up to 75% yield for the ammonolysis reaction, producing monomers of high purity. These monomers can be reused for the synthesis of new polycarbonate materials, contributing to a more sustainable approach to polycarbonate recycling.