A green method for polybutylene succinate recycling: Depolymerization catalyzed by lipase B from Candida antarctica during reactive extrusion

• Published in: European Polymer Journal
• Main Authors: Jbilou, Fouzia, Dole, Patrice, Degraeve, Pascal, Ladaviere, Catherine, Joly, Catherine
• Other Authors: Bioingénierie et Dynamique Microbienne aux Interfaces Alimentaires (BIODYMIA), Isara-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon, Centre Technique de la Conservation des Produits Agricoles (CTCPA), Centre Technique de la Conservation des Produits Agricoles, Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères (IMP), Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Lyon-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: Reactive extrusion; Enzymatic degradation; Polybutylene succinate (PBS); Recycling; Lipase; [CHIM.MATE]Chemical Sciences/Material chemistry; [CHIM.POLY]Chemical Sciences/Polymers; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01221094; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2015.04.039

International audience This study aims to investigate a "green" recycling route for polybutylene succinate (PBS) based on reactive extrusion in the presence of an enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of this aliphatic polyester: lipase B from Candida antarctica. This enzyme was chosen due to its thermal stability, since reactive extrusion was performed at 120 degrees C (i.e. above PBS melting temperature). PBS hydrolysis was measured after extrusion at 120 degrees C either in a single or a twin screw extruder, in the presence of 0-10 wt% C. antarctica lipase for 5 or 30 min. In a twin screw extruder, the residual activity of the enzyme was still 38% or 24%, after 5-30 min extrusion at 120 degrees C, respectively. For instance, the weight average molecular weight (M-w) of PBS decreased from 82,000 to 4500 g mol(-1) after extrusion for 5 min in the presence of 1% wt of lipase. The highest yield of free succinic acid release (44%) was obtained following a 30 min extrusion in the presence of 10 wt% of C. antarctica lipase. The drastic decrease in weight average molecular weight of PBS after enzymatic hydrolysis caused an only 10 degrees C decrease in the melting temperature.