Development of novel polymers and their impact on the marine environment Eleanor Trudinger Charnley 1 , Dr Matthew Cole 2 , Prof. Penelope Lindeque 2 , Prof. Antoine Buchard 1 1 Institute for Sustainability, University of Bath, UK, 2 Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, UK Plastics are an extremely versatile class of materials with many benefits including in improving sustainability in several sectors. 1 However, there are currently two major problems with these materials: industrially they are mainly produced from fossil fuels, and they persist in the environment causing harm to habitats and wildlife. Recently a study proved that microplastics in the marine environment reduce the feeding capacity and reproductive capacity of copepods, an abundant class of zooplankton. 2 Clearly it is imperative to develop new and more recyclable polymers derived from more sustainable feedstocks. The RSC has stated that even with recycling it is “inevitable that some plastic will find its way into the environment” 3 suggesting that new polymer should also be tested to ensure they do no harm to the environment. Sugars have been shown to have excellent potential as a renewable polymer feedstock due to their abundance, relatively low cost, and high functionality. Our group has recently published the ROP and ROCOP of a xylose derived oxetane monomer (D-ox). 4, 5 Using an adapted emulsion-evaporation process 6 these polymers have been converted to microplastic particles with sizes <100 microns. This poster will detail the analysis of these microparticles degradation. Additionally, investigation into further development of these polymers to improve their processability will be presented. References 1. I. Agenda, 2016. M. Cole, P. Lindeque, E. Fileman, C. Halsband and T. S. Galloway, Environmental science & technology , 2015, 49 , 1130-1137. 2. Scince to enabe sustainable plastics - A white paper from the 8th Chemical Sciences and Society Summit (CS3) , 2020. T. M. McGuire, J. Bowles, E. Deane, E. H. Farrar, M. N. Grayson and A. Buchard, Angewandte Chemie , 2021, 133 , 4574-4578. 3. T. M. McGuire, E. F. Clark and A. Buchard, Macromolecules , 2021, 54 , 5094-5105. 4. C. Volant, E. Balnois, G. Vignaud, A. Magueresse and S. Bruzaud, Journal of Polymers and the Environment , 2022, 30 , 2254-2269.
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