Plastics to fertilizer: A polymer system based on isosorbide as a monomer, plasticizer, and fertilizer

Abstract Plastics have long been designed as durable materials with limited consideration of their fate after use. In contrast, a polymer system that enables end-of-life plastics to no longer to be discarded but instead to be transformed into fertilizers that actively benefit ecosystems, would be very desirable indeed. Such a concept may offer a new direction for polymer design and expand the potential roles of plastic materials. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that isosorbide-based polycarbonates (PIC) can be converted into fertilizer-compatible components through ammonolysis after use. Building on this concept, the present study introduces dual-functional isosorbide-based plasticizers that simultaneously reduce the brittleness of PIC while also being convertible into fertilizer-compatible components through ammonolysis after use. The effectiveness of the degradation products obtained from this plastic system, composed of PIC and isosorbide-based plasticizers, as fertilizers was validated through the growth of both a model plant and an edible vegetable.