Plenary, Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12)
Making polymers and materials from waste biomass and carbon dioxide
Francesca M. Kerton * Department of Chemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada. E-mail: fkerton@mun.ca Materials and polymer chemists can use the principles of green chemistry to reduce their impacts on the environment. This talk will explore several aspects of our group’s recent research in this area. We have shown that liquid phase exfoliation in greener solvents can be used to access nanostructures of biochars to improve applications of this biobased ‘carbon-sink’ material. Modified biochar can be used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the formation of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide, and formation of substituted furans from sugars. Phosphonium functionalization biochars can be used in supercapacitors for energy storage. In other research targeting biomass transformations, we have developed a biocatalytic method for producing biogenic calcium carbonate from waste mussel shells (food waste) and an inorganic ‘sponge’, which can be used as an adsorbent material. This approach has been extended to fish bones and hydroxyapatite. We have also been able to make (i) bio-derived non- isocyanate polyurethanes from epoxidized waste fish oil, carbon dioxide and bio-derived amines, and (ii) bio-derived polycarbonates, polyesters and related block copolymers from carbon dioxide, and terpenes. Overall, this talk will describe some of the varied ways that chemists can help meet targets within SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
© The Author(s), 2025
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