Catalytic Hydrothermal Depolymerization of DGEBA/EDA Epoxy Resin

Hydrothermal depolymerization of DGEBA/EDA epoxy resin was carried out in a stainless autoclave at temperatures of 270°C to 350°C in H2O medium. The effect of the factors catalyst, temperature and time on the depolymerization was researched. The products of depolymerization were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by means of GC/MS and GC. The results indicated that the main depolymerized products were phenol, p-isopropylphenol and bisphenol-A (BPA). The epoxy resin composite based on glass fiber and the solid residue after reaction using catalytic hydrothermal depolymerization technology were analyzed by SEM. Also, the depolymerization kinetics of epoxy resin with 3% catalyst and no catalyst were researched and the activation energy was calculated.