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Enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of malonate polyesters and their use as metal chelating materials

Abstract

Following the environmental problems caused by non-degradable
plastics there is a need to synthesise greener and more sustainable
polymers. In this work we describe, for the first time, the facile
enzyme-catalysed synthesis of linear polyesters using dimethyl
malonate as the diester. These polymers, containing a different aliphatic diol component (C4, C6 or C8), were synthesised in solventless conditions using immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B as
the biocatalyst. The potential of enzymes for catalysing this reaction is compared with the unsuccessful antimony- and titaniumcatalysed synthesis (T > 150 °C). The application of the synthesized
polymers as effective metal chelators in biphasic, green solvent
systems was also described, together with the characterisation of
the synthesised materials.
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Category

Academic article

Language

English

Author(s)

  • Fergal P. Byrne
  • Jamie M. Z. Assemat
  • Amy E. Stanford
  • Thomas J. Farmer
  • James Comerford
  • Alessandro Pellis

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Industry / Materials and Nanotechnology
  • University of York
  • University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

Year

2021

Published in

Green Chemistry

ISSN

1463-9262

Volume

23

Issue

14

Page(s)

5043 - 5048

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository