Next Article in Journal
Changes in the Fatty Acid Composition and Antioxidant Properties in Mono-Protein Commercial Dry Dog Foods During Storage
Previous Article in Journal
Advances in the Application of Aerobic Granular Sludge for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants in Municipal and Industrial Wastewater
Previous Article in Special Issue
Sustainable Synthesis of New Antioxidants from Hydroxytyrosol by Direct Biocatalytic Esterification in Ionic Liquids
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Molecules
Volume 30
Issue 17
10.3390/molecules30173523
molecules-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

On the Hydrolytic Depolymerization of Polyurethane Foam Wastes by Ionic Liquids

by
Rebeca Salas
1,
Rocio Villa
1,*,
Francisco Velasco
1,
Maria Macia
2,
Virtudes Navarro
3,
Jairton Dupont
1,
Eduardo Garcia-Verdugo
2 and
Pedro Lozano
1,*
1
Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular B e Inmunología, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, E-30100 Murcia, Spain
2
Departamento de Química Inorgánica y Orgánica, Universidad Jaume I, Campus del Riu Sec, E-12071 Castellon, Spain
3
Centro Tecnológico del Mueble y la Madera, Región de Murcia, C/ Perales S/N, E-30510 Yecla, Spain
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2025, 30(17), 3523; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30173523
Submission received: 28 July 2025 / Revised: 18 August 2025 / Accepted: 26 August 2025 / Published: 28 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents in Catalysis: Current Status and Future Outlook)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Flexible polyurethane foams (PUFs) are widely used materials whose crosslinked chemical structure hinders conventional recycling, leading to significant environmental challenges. This study presents a selective and scalable depolymerization strategy for polyurethane foam waste (PUFW), utilizing a combination of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim][Cl]) as water-miscible ionic liquid (IL) and a strong organic base to enable hydrolytic cleavage of urethane bonds under mild reaction conditions (98 °C, atmospheric pressure). The approach was evaluated across different PUFW formulations and successfully scaled up to a 1 kg reaction mass, maintaining high efficiency in both the depolymerization and separation steps. The recovered polyols exhibited high purity and structural fidelity, comparable to those of virgin polyols. The recycled products were integrated into a new foam formulation, resulting in a PUF with mechanical and morphological properties, as revelated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which closely resemble those of virgin polyol-based references and surpass those of foams produced using commercially recycled polyols. These findings support the feasibility of closed-loop polyurethane recycling and represent the transition towards circular polymer economy strategies.
Keywords: polyurethane foam waste; chemical recycling; ionic liquids; recycled polyols; sustainability polyurethane foam waste; chemical recycling; ionic liquids; recycled polyols; sustainability

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Salas, R.; Villa, R.; Velasco, F.; Macia, M.; Navarro, V.; Dupont, J.; Garcia-Verdugo, E.; Lozano, P. On the Hydrolytic Depolymerization of Polyurethane Foam Wastes by Ionic Liquids. Molecules 2025, 30, 3523. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30173523

AMA Style

Salas R, Villa R, Velasco F, Macia M, Navarro V, Dupont J, Garcia-Verdugo E, Lozano P. On the Hydrolytic Depolymerization of Polyurethane Foam Wastes by Ionic Liquids. Molecules. 2025; 30(17):3523. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30173523

Chicago/Turabian Style

Salas, Rebeca, Rocio Villa, Francisco Velasco, Maria Macia, Virtudes Navarro, Jairton Dupont, Eduardo Garcia-Verdugo, and Pedro Lozano. 2025. "On the Hydrolytic Depolymerization of Polyurethane Foam Wastes by Ionic Liquids" Molecules 30, no. 17: 3523. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30173523

APA Style

Salas, R., Villa, R., Velasco, F., Macia, M., Navarro, V., Dupont, J., Garcia-Verdugo, E., & Lozano, P. (2025). On the Hydrolytic Depolymerization of Polyurethane Foam Wastes by Ionic Liquids. Molecules, 30(17), 3523. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30173523

Article Metrics

Article metric data becomes available approximately 24 hours after publication online.
Back to TopTop