Grant: Alliance Grants

In recent years, there have been growing concerns regarding the levels of plastic (polymer) pollution in the environment and its impacts on the health of animals, the environment, and humans. Canadian government reports have indicated that the improper management of waste has led to polymer pollution in drinking water, surface water, soil, groundwater, shorelines, food, and wildlife. Most of today's polymers require tens to hundreds of years to degrade in the environment. Some plastic pollution can be mitigated by improved plastic recycling protocols, as the level of plastic recycling is notoriously very low (< 10%), even in developed countries. However, water-soluble polymers are routinely used in a wide range of products such as shampoos, laundry and dish detergents, as well as water treatment, oil processing, and other industries. There is no obvious mechanism by which such polymers can be collected and recycled. The temporary nature of the use of water-soluble polymers makes them promising candidates for replacement with degradable alternatives. However, a challenge is that the current polymers have been extensively optimized for their low cost and excellent performance. In addition, degradability needs to be balanced with the need for stability during their use period. This collaborative project with BASF will focus on the development of biodegradable water-soluble polymers. Building on our past collaboration, the team will explore the synthesis parameters that are critical for the preparation of high-performance polymers with the aim of achieving a synthetic approach that is both environmentally friendly and economical. We will also explore structure-property relationships through the incorporation of different polymer pendent groups. It is anticipated that these alternative degradable polymers can replace conventional non-degradable polymers in applications such as water treatment, detergents, cosmetics and personal care products, oil processing, mining, and pulp and paper, which are all critical industries for Canada.