Policondensação de monômeros oriundos de fontes renováveis

Abstract

The present study evaluated the use of poly(ethylene-2,5-furandicarboxylate) - PEF – copolymers modified with succinic acid and glycerol as possible substitutes for poly(ethylene terephthalate) - PET, with emphasis on the production and processing. The present study also sought to elucidate the polymerization behavior in relation to the mass transfer rates between the molten and gaseous phases, as well as to develop a mathematical model capable of describing the evolution of the reaction based on the masses of by-products and molar masses distributions over time. It was observed that although the synthesis of furanic copolymers by an environment friendly route is feasible, the lower thermal stability of the furanic polyesters under processing conditions (227 ± 12 °C) hinders the direct substitution of PET in several commercial applications. The developed models showed good reproducibility of the experimental data and allowed to observe that the polycondensation is highly affected by the mass transfer rates of the byproducts, especially during the esterification. Finally, the synthesis of polyesters derived from succinic acid and the manipulation of the structure of such polymers were also studied. Aided by functionalization techniques it was possible to insert specific groups in the polymer chain (6 to 100%) in different steps of the polymerization, allowing the synthesis of polymers that would not be easily obtained by conventional polymerization techniques.