Enzyme-catalyzed chemical recycling of bio-based polymers

Chemical recycling of bio-based polymers such as poly(butylene adipate) and poly(butylene succinate), were studied using an enzyme. Chemically recyclable bio-based polymers were prepared via the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic oligomers which were produced by the condensation of diols and dicarboxylates by lipase in a toluene solution. The cyclic oligomer was readily polymerized by the same lipase in more concentrated solution to produce a high-molecular weight polyester. The produced polyester was readily degraded by lipase to produce cyclic oligomers as the chemical recycling. In this report, the effect of ring-size of cyclic oligomer was studied with respect to the repolymerizability.