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Published on 2018-08-02.
PEF bioplastic could solve some of the problems caused by PET. The lengthy and energy-intensive production process has so far prevented mass production. ETH Zurich researchers have now developed a method that could finally make the PEF marketable.
PEF可能會解決PET引起的一些問題。冗長而能量密集的生產工藝目前妨礙了PEF的批量化生產。ETH蘇黎世研究人員現在開發了一種方法，可能會最終使得PEF市場化。
The problem of plastic is on everyone's lips. Every year, some 50 million tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) alone are produced, and the trend is rising. Since recycling is usually cost-intensive and technologically difficult to implement, a great deal of plastic waste ends up in the oceans or is incinerated, causing massive CO2 emissions. The use of crude oil in production is also problematic. However, none of us can do without plastic entirely.
塑料問題是我們的日常話題。每年，僅聚對苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）就有生產了6千萬噸，而且呈現出上升趨勢。由於回收通常是成本密集和技術密集，難以實現，大量的塑料廢物散布於海洋或被焚燒。
"Education and an improved awareness of how to handle plastics will continue to be crucial in order to stop the increasing environmental pollution" - ETH researcher Jan-Georg Rosenboom
Reducing Negative Environmental Impact of Plastic
減少負麵塑料的負面影響
Jan-Georg Rosenboom, a fresh PhD graduate in the research group of ETH professor Massimo Morbidelli at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, said:
"Polymers and plastics are very useful materials that make a wide range of everyday applications possible in the first place. Lighter cars, smartphones, modern clothes and many medical devices would not exist if we hadn't invented polymers. The question is how we can reduce the negative environmental impact of plastic while maintaining its benefits for our society."
Jan-Georg Rosenboom,是ETH蘇黎世大學化學和應用生物科學系的r Massimo Morbidelli教授研究團隊的一個新入學的博士研究生，他說：
「聚合物和塑料是非常有用的材料，有著寬範圍的日常應用，很可能是第一位的應用。假如我們沒有發明聚合物，更輕的汽車、智慧型手機、現代服裝和許多醫療設備都無從談起。問題是，我們如何能減少塑料對環境的負面影響而保持其對於我們社會的好處。」
Bioplastics or Biobased Polymers
生物基塑料或者生物基聚合物
One answer could be biobased polymers, so-called bioplastics. These have very similar properties to conventional plastics, but are made from plant-based raw materials instead of crude oil. Some bioplastics are also biodegradable and enable better composting.
一個答案可能是生物基聚合物，也就是所謂的生物基塑料。這些生物基塑料有著與傳統塑料很類似的性質，但是它們是用植物基原材料而不是原油製造的。一些生物基塑料也是生物降解的，可以更好分解。
Promising Bioplastic - Polyethylene Furanoate (PEF)
有希望的生物基塑料-聚呋喃二酸乙二醇酯（PEF）
Massimo Morbidelli's group is investigating a promising bioplastic called polyethylene furanoate (PEF).
Massimo Morbidelli的團隊正在研究一種有希望的生物基塑料，叫做聚呋喃二酸乙二醇酯（PEF）。
• PEF is chemically very similar to PET, but consists of 100% renewable raw materials such as forestry and agricultural wastes.
• PEF在化學上非常類似於PEF，但是是由100%可再生原材料構成的，例如林業和農業廢棄物物。
• PEF bottles, for example, require less material, are lighter and more stable than their PET competitors and make beverages last longer.
• 例如，PEF瓶使用較少的材料，比PET更輕更穩定，可以使飲料壽命更長。
• Although PEF is not biodegradable, it can be incinerated in an environmentally friendly manner besides recycling, as no additional CO2 emissions are produced.
• 儘管PEF不是生物降解的，但是，它除了可以回收外，還可以以環境友好的方式被焚燒，而且沒有額外的CO2排放。
The fact that PEF has not yet been able to establish itself on the market is primarily due to its time- and energy-intensive production. The ETH doctoral students Jan-Georg Rosenboom and Peter Fleckenstein, together with ETH professor Giuseppe Storti, have now developed a method that could enable the commercial breakthrough of PEF.
PEF之尚未名乎塑料江湖，主要是由於其耗時耗能的生產工藝。ETH博士研究生Jan-Georg Rosenboom和Peter Fleckenstein, 與 ETH 教授 Giuseppe Storti一起，現在開發了一種方法，有可能實現PEF的商業突破。
PEF bioplastics are indistinguishable from
conventional PET on the outside
Energy-efficient and Fast Production
高能效和快速生產
Jan-Georg Rosenboom explained:
"Our method reduces production time from several days to a few hours. In addition, discoloration in the end product can be avoided in contrast to previous processes. Instead of making the usual "rope-like" polymer chains with two end points react, we first tie rings from the latter, which thus have no ends anymore. These rings can then be polymerized to PEF much more quickly and in a controlled manner. This is because no chemical by-products are produced and have to be removed, when the rings are opened and connected to form the final long "polymer rope". The very fast reaction within minutes enables PEF products that are superior in material properties to PET and reduces energy requirements.」
Jan-Georg Rosenboom解釋說，「我們的方法減少了生產時間，從幾天到幾個小時。此外，與之前的工藝相比，終端產品的變色也可以避免。我們不是使通常的「索狀」聚合物鏈在兩端點反應，我們首先把兩端點打結成環，這樣分子鏈就不再有端點。這些環以更快的速度聚合成PEF，而且可控。這是由於在開環聚合、連接形成長最終的長聚合物索的時候，沒有化學副產品生成和需要除去。數分鐘之間的甚快反應使得PEF產品在材料性能上優於PET，並減少了能耗需求。」
Advantages of New Method
新方法的優點
In addition, the method of ring opening allows a precise adjustment of the product quality, which was not possible with the previous production process. Thus, the new method could also be interesting for the production of other types of plastics and bioplastics. Due to its good material properties, the PEF could possibly also replace multilayer materials that are difficult to recycle.
此外，開發方法允許對產品質量進行精確調整，而這在先前的工藝中是不可能的。這樣，新的方法還可能有利於生產別的類型的塑料和生物基塑料。由於其具有良好的材料性能，PEF還可能取代難於回收的多層材料。
Currently, the scientists are working with Sulzer to investigate how the new process could be implemented in industrial mass production. Despite the many advantages offered by PEF, it cannot solve all existing problems on its own, says Rosenboom, stressing: "Education and an improved awareness of how to handle plastics will continue to be crucial in order to stop the increasing environmental pollution. However, progress in manufacturing and recycling technologies will facilitate the transition towards a sustainable society".
目前，這些科學家正在與Sulzer（蘇爾壽）合作，研究如何將這個新工藝在工業化批量生產中實現。儘管PEF具有諸多優點，它也不可能憑一己之力解決現有的所有問題，Rosenboom說，並強調：「為了阻止不斷增加的環境汙染，教育和提高的如何處理塑料的意識將繼續成為關鍵。但是，製造和回收技術的進步將有利於轉向可持續的社會。」
Source: ETH Zurich
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