Recycling of absorbent hygiene products (AHPs), i.e., baby diapers, and feminine protection and adult incontinence pads, is good for the environment and needed to achieve the sustainability goals of many consumer product companies. These goals are about using 100% recycled materials and having zero consumer and manufacturing waste go to landfill. In addition to these goals, successful recycling benefits the environment, stimulates the economy, improves people’s health and water quality, and generates energy needed by consumers in developing regions of the world. The major component in AHPs is the SAP, and thus it is very important to recycle SAP.<br/>The vision for this work is to eliminate SAP waste going to landfills or incineration via introducing recycling and circularity, also in support of P&G’s Ambition 2030 goals and Baby Care Pampers® “7 Acts for Good”. The objectives are to develop cost- and energy-effective SAP degradation technologies to: 1) provide circular solutions SAP, via replacing part of virgin SAP; 2) recycle SAP into acrylate-based products, e.g. adhesives and coatings; and 3) re-apply best technologies to other polymers, as appropriate.<br/>SAP was degraded to poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) using various methods, such as mechano-chemistry, ultrasonic energy, UV energy in flow system, and hydrothermal treatment with microwaves. We will present results from these methods showing degradation of SAP as manifested by viscosity reduction of at least 3 orders of magnitude, in the presence or absence of radical-forming compounds, such as hydrogen peroxide. Finally, we will report on potential applications of degraded SAP.

Circular economy of super absorbent polymer (SAP)

ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting

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