Chemical Depolymerization of Polyurethane Foam via Ammonolysis and Aminolysis

Abstract Scraps of polyurethane (PU) foam may be recycled by ammonolysis and aminolysis methods by using ammonia, amines, or alkanolamines to retrieve the monomeric polyols, which can be reused for the synthesis of PU. These methods may be employed individually as well as in combination with other depolymerization methods for recycling. This chapter represents a comprehensive discussion on the characteristics of these two methods in correlation to recycling of PU foam. The discussion includes stepwise mechanism, different reagents, as well as the processing conditions for these two methods. However, the ammonolytic and aminolytic depolymerization are less explored in comparison to the other widely used methods like glycolysis and hydrolysis.