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), 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), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Institut de Chimie - CNRS Chimie (INC-CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: Polybutylene succinate (PBS); Enzymatic degradation; Reactive extrusion; Recycling; Lipase; [CHIM.MATE]Chemical Sciences/Material chemistry; [CHIM.POLY]Chemical Sciences/Polymers; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://hal.science/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.