Depolymerization of Technical Grade Polyamide 66 and Polyurethane Materials via Hydrogenation.

Chemical recycling provides a promising solution to utilize plastic waste. Here, we present a catalytic hydrogenative depolymerization of polyamide 66 (PA 66) and polyurethane (PU). The system features employing Ru pincer complexes at high temperature (200 °C) in THF solution, even technical grade polymers can be hydrogenated with satisfactory yields under these conditions. A comparison of the system with some known heterogeneous catalysts as well as catalyst poisoning tests support homogeneity of the system. These results demonstrate the potential of chemical recycling to regain building blocks for polymers and will be interesting for the further development of polymer hydrogenation.