Polymers are ubiquitous in everyday life yet most common polymers—plastics, rubber, adhesives, and coatings—are derived from non-renewable feedstocks. To ensure a sustainable polymer future, alternative monomer feedstocks need to be investigated. Here we report the reaction between two industrial waste products: limonene and sulfur. Limonene—found in citrus zest—is currently produced on the order of 70,000 tons annually as a byproduct of the citrus industry. Sulfur is a by-product of the petroleum industry and is produced on the order of 60 million tons. In this presentation, we report the use of limonene and sulfur as co-monomers in the synthesis of a novel polysulfide that can be processed into coatings and various molds (Figure 1). The synthesis requires no exogenous regents or solvents and is therefore highly atom economical. Prospects in water remediation and removal of toxic metals through binding to the polysulfide will also be presented.

Plasticizing sulfur with limonene: A functional material synthesized entirely from industrial waste

249th National Meeting (2015)

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