New progress in key technologies for the industrialization of carbon dioxide-based plastics

The Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences exerts its technological and talent advantages in the research and development of carbon dioxide-based plastics, and has made new progress on the basis of its achievements. On May 25th, the “Key Technology for the Industrialization of Carbon Dioxide Based Plastics”, an important direction project of the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was approved by the experts organized by the High Technology Research and Development Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a 10,000-ton CO2-based plastic production line was built at the same time. And completed the design of a 30,000-ton/year production line process package.

Carbon dioxide-based plastic is a green polymer material made from carbon dioxide and epoxide as the main raw material and chemically produced. It can not only efficiently use carbon dioxide, change waste into treasure, but also has good gas barrier properties, transparency and completeness. Biodegradation is expected to be widely used in the field of disposable medical and food packaging.

The Changchun Institute of Chemical Technology of China Academy of Sciences responded to the country’s major demand for the comprehensive utilization of carbon dioxide and the development of low-carbon industries. In 2001, it carried out research and development in this field earlier in the country, and established the first in the world in cooperation with Mengxi Group in 2004. An annual production capacity of 1,000 tons carbon dioxide copolymer production line with complete independent property rights. In order to accelerate the industrialization of carbon dioxide-based plastics, Changchun Yinghua Institute undertook the “Key Technology for the Industrialization of Carbon Dioxide Based Plastics” of the important direction project of the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008.

Researchers have broken through key technologies such as active maintenance, continuous copolymerization, and polymer modification of rare earth catalysts that restrict the continuous production of carbon dioxide-based plastics, and have developed highly efficient, stable, low-cost rare earth combinations and supported catalysts; Based on the production technology of base plastics and low-zinc-content polymer post-treatment technologies, the content of heavy metals in polymers has met the requirements of the American Association of Biodegradable Plastics; the toughening and reinforcement of carbon dioxide-based plastics has been achieved based on the principle of hydrogen-bond interactions. After the carbon dioxide-based plastic film reached the level of high-density polyethylene film, and passed the United States BPI certification; for the industrialization of carbon dioxide-based plastics to provide a practical system technology.

In cooperation with CNOOC in 2009, it established a modern production line with an annual output of 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide copolymer. In December 2011, it established a 10,000-ton CO2-based plastic production line in cooperation with Zhejiang Taizhou Bangfeng Plastics Co., Ltd., and completed the operation test on May 15 this year. The design of a 30,000-ton/year production line process package was completed, which laid a technical foundation for China to establish a biodegradable carbon dioxide-based plastics industry with global competitiveness.

During the research period of the project, 3 international patents, 17 Chinese invention patents, and 2 domestic invention patents were declared in the design and preparation of three-way catalysts for carbon dioxide-based plastics, multiple polymerization technologies, post-polymerization processing technologies, and modification technologies.