New Chemical Method Breaks Down Silicone Waste into Reusable Monomers
Researchers at Technische Universität Berlin and the University of Bonn have developed a new chemical method to recycle silicone waste. The process uses phosgene and its substitutes to break down silicone polymers into dichlorosilane monomers, which can be reused in industrial manufacturing. This approach addresses the difficulty of recycling chemically inert silicones, which are currently mostly landfilled or incinerated. The method works on various linear and cyclic siloxanes, including commercial silicone oils and elastomers, under mild conditions. Computational studies suggest phosgene acts as a precursor to a chlorocarbonyl cation, which cleaves the Si–O–Si linkages in the polymer chain. This offers a potential pathway for sustainable circular recycling of silicone materials.