Green plasticizers from non-edible liquefied biomass

Research Leader

Prof. Minna Hakkarainen

Project information

The overall aim of the project is to design green polymer plasticizers from non-edible biobased resources such as wood flour or waste paper. These novel plasticizers could be attractive alternatives for oil-based plasticizers such as phthalates that are among the most ubiquitous environmental contaminants. New knowledge of the liquefaction and synthesis processes as well as migration resistance of the new plasticizers will be obtained through characterization by advanced techniques such as different laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) techniques, electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A potential high volume application for these esters would be as plasticizers for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Other applications include plasticization of biobased polymers such as polylactide and starch. The project is financed by VR.