The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Premirr Plastics Inc.

Liquidia Technologies, Inc.

Matthew Craig Parrott

Joseph Desimone

Donald B Shuping

James Christopher Luft

Michael Dean Mattiace

Ashish A Pandya

Mary E Napier

Mathew Finniss

Andrew J Murphy

Robby A Petros

Micahel Dean Mattiace

A process and a system for depolymerizing plastic, such as waste polyester, into marketable monomers. A heterogeneous mixture of plastic particles, a solvent, and a catalyst are pumped continuously through a heating zone at a flow rate just high enough to maintain a particle speed great enough to keep the plastic particles in suspension. The temperature of the heterogeneous mixture is raised in the heating zone and maintained in a hold zone to complete depolymerization of the mixture into a homogeneous solution containing a liquefied plastic monomer. The homogeneous solution is cooled to solidify and precipitate the monomer. The precipitated monomer is separated from the solvent to be recycled. The solvent is recirculated to be reused as a constituent of the heterogeneous mixture.

Process and system for depolymerizing plastic

A continuous flow process and system for depolymerizing plastic. A heterogeneous mixture of solid plastic particles, a solvent, and a catalyst are pumped continuously through a heating zone at a flow rate resulting in a particle speed sufficient to keep the plastic particles in suspension. The heterogeneous mixture is heated in the heating zone and maintained in a hold zone to complete depolymerization of the mixture into a homogeneous solution containing a liquefied reaction product. The homogeneous solution is cooled to solidify and precipitate a solid reaction product. The solid reaction product is separated from the solvent to be recycled. Contaminants are removed from the solvent, and the solvent is recirculated for use as a constituent of the heterogeneous mixture.

A process for chemically recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which utilizes a microwave absorber to optimize glycolytic depolymerization of PET via microwave irradiation. The method of chemically degrading PET to its reactive intermediate, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), is carried out by: (a) combining PET with ethylene glycol and a catalytic system comprising a catalyst and a microwave absorber to produce a heterogeneous reaction mixture; and then (b) heating by microwave irradiating the reaction mixture to a temperature sufficient to produce a reaction product comprising BHET. The BHET monomer then can be purified and re-polymerized to form new, virgin PET.

Chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate by microwave irradiation

A process and a system for continuously depolymerizing plastic is disclosed. The system may comprise a mixer for producing a heterogeneous reaction mixture comprising plastic particles and a solvent, a pump for transmitting the reaction mixture at a particle speed sufficient to maintain the plastic particles in suspension in the solvent, a heating apparatus for heating the reaction mixture to its reaction temperature, a hold tube for maintaining the reaction mixture at or above the reaction temperature to facilitate conversion into a homogeneous reaction solution, and a settling tank to allow a solid reaction product to precipitate from the homogeneous reaction solution once cooled.

Asymmetric bifunctional silyl (ABS) monomers comprising covalently linked pharmaceutical, chemical and biological agents are described. These agents can also be covalently bound via the silyl group to delivery vehicles for delivering the agents to desired targets or areas. Also described are delivery vehicles which contain ABS monomers comprising covalently linked agents and to vehicles that are covalently linked to the ABS monomers. The silyl modifications described herein can modify properties of the agents and vehicles, thereby providing desired solubility, stability, hydrophobicity and targeting.

Asymmetric bifunctional silyl monomers and particles thereof as prodrugs and delivery vehicles for pharmaceutical, chemical and biological agents

The present invention provides compounds that will degrade under specified conditions, methods of using such compounds, and compositions comprising such compounds. The degradable compounds of the invention may be characterized by the labile &#x2014;Si-A-C&#x2014; groups present in the compounds (A representing an atom, such as O, N, or S, or a group, such as C&#x2550;O). The compounds may be incorporated into a composition that further may include a polymeric matrix and/or a cargo component. A wide variety of cargo components may also be used in the present invention. In particular embodiments, the cargo component comprises a drug or other therapeutic agent. Accordingly, the invention particularly provides pharmaceutical formulations and methods of delivering a drug or other therapeutic material.

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Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Matthew Craig Parrott