Steam hydrolysis of poly(bisphenol a carbonate) in a fluidized bed reactor

Poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PC) was hydrolyzed in a benchtop fluidized bed reactor and compared with the pyrolysis of PC. Hydrolysis resulted in bisphenol A (BPA) and the cleavage of BPA in the formation of phenol and p-isopropenylphenol (IPP). Experiments were carried out using MgO or quartz sand (SiO₂) as bed materials in a temperature range between 350 and 500 C. It was found that the combination of bed material and temperature has a significant impact on the product distribution. High BPA yields between 40% and 45% were obtained with MgO at 400 C and with SiO₂ at 500 C. Moreover, the reaction in the presence of SiO₂ at 400 C led to phenol and IPP yields of 34% and 32%, respectively. Compared with pyrolysis at 480 C, residue and high-boiling-fraction quantities were reduced. The reaction pathway is also discussed.