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Update(MM/DD/YYYY):02/26/2003

AIST develops method for rapid synthesis of plastic raw materials: Research paves the way for manufacture of environmentally friendly plastics that use CO2 as a raw material

Highlights

  • Cyclic carbonates are an important raw material for engineering plastics such as polycarbonate. Cyclic carbonate synthesis methods currently use poisonous phosgene, but researchers have been trying to make use of carbon dioxide as a raw material to develop more environmentally friendly methods that may also contribute to the prevention of global warming. Methods for carbon dioxide fixation are under development, but research to date is still a long way from practical application.
  • The AIST devised a two-phase system comprising supercritical carbon dioxide + ionic fluid as a new reaction system for selective and rapid cyclic carbonate synthesis with the potential for practical application.
  • Cyclic carbonate synthesis using conventional carbon dioxide fixation methods only produce a yield of around 50% at best, even at reaction temperatures of 150–200ºC and with reaction times of 4–24 hours. The supercritical carbon dioxide + ionic fluid method, however, produced 100% yields and 100% selectivity even at a reaction temperature of 100ºC and reaction time of only 5 minutes. This research should pave the way for practical application of this technique.


Summary

The Supercritical Fluid Research Center at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has made a major advance in the practical application of carbon dioxide fixation for cyclic carbonate production, using a two-phase reaction system combining supercritical carbon dioxide and ionic fluid devised by the Research Center. The team has successfully developed a rapid synthesis method that can be used under moderate reaction conditions. The supercritical carbon dioxide + ionic fluid method rivals the conventional phosgene method in terms of synthesis capabilities. Over the past few decades, researchers around the world have tested various reaction systems and catalysts for carbon dioxide fixation, with a view to applying this to cyclic carbonate synthesis. To date, no method has been discovered that is superior to the phosgene method in terms of reactivity. The development of the supercritical carbon dioxide + ionic fluid method is expected to significantly accelerate the development of production methods for more environmentally friendly engineering plastics.

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