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Recycling of poly-(methyl methacrylate) waste sheets to synthesize catalyst-free bi-functional cation-exchange resin for sequestering of toxic pollutant

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Abstract

A simple and green method for the recovery of methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been developed by recycling waste sheets of poly-(methyl methacrylate) without using any catalyst. The liquefaction yield was 97.33% while the purity of recovered MMA was up to 92%. The recovered monomer utilized for the synthesis of methylmethacrylate-copolymer-divinylbenzene at 20% cross-linking in the presence of different porogens (methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexane, toluene, and cyclohexanone) by suspension polymerization. The same copolymer was also synthesized but with different cross-linking percentages such as 4, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 40% in the presence of a single porogen (methyl isobutyl ketone). Different copolymers having pore volumes in the range of 0.120–0.682 mL/g were obtained. The pendant –COOCH3 groups within the polymeric chain were converted to –COOH groups via acid hydrolysis, accompanied by the attachment of –SO3H groups to phenyl rings. ATR-FTIR, UV–Vis spectrometry, and HPLC techniques were used for qualitative and quantitative analyses of –COOH and –SO3H groups. The obtained results were compared with copolymers and resin synthesized using commercial MMA, displaying similar behavior. The resin derived from the recovered monomer was utilized for Co2+ ion removal at various pH, demonstrating excellent removal performance.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Dr. Arif Malik, Dr. Shabana Waseem and Dr. Tahir Khan for their help during characterization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Division, Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), P.O., Nilore, Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan

    Ruba Arif, Syed Wasim Ali & Muhammad Saifullah

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Poonch, Rawalakot, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan

    Ruba Arif & Shabnam Shahida

  3. Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea

    Sajid Iqbal

Authors
  1. Ruba Arif
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  2. Syed Wasim Ali
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  3. Muhammad Saifullah
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  4. Shabnam Shahida
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  5. Sajid Iqbal
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Contributions

Ruba Arif (lead) contributed to the conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, methodology, and writing—original draft. Syed Wasim Ali (supporting) contributed to the methodology, writing—original draft, and (lead) supervision. Muhammad Saifullah (supporting) was involved in the data curation, formal analysi, and methodology. Shabnam Shahida (equal) assisted in the formal analysi, investigation, supervision, and (supporting) writing—review and editing. SAJID IQBAL, Ph.D, (supporting) data curation, formal analysis, investigation, writing—review and editing, validation, (lead) project administration, supervision, and (equal) software.

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Correspondence to Shabnam Shahida or Sajid Iqbal.

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Arif, R., Ali, S.W., Saifullah, M. et al. Recycling of poly-(methyl methacrylate) waste sheets to synthesize catalyst-free bi-functional cation-exchange resin for sequestering of toxic pollutant. Polym. Bull. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-024-05282-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-024-05282-1

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