Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Hydrogenative Degradation of End‐of‐Life Poly(lactide) to Produce 1,2‐Propanediol as Platform Chemical

The chemical recycling of end‐of‐life polymers can add some value to a future circular economy. In this regard, the hydrogenative degradation of end‐of‐life PLA was investigated to produce 1,2‐propanediol as product, which is a useful building block in polymer chemistry. In more detail, the commercially available Ru‐MACHO‐BH complex was applied as catalyst to degrade end‐of‐life PLA efficiently to 1,2‐propanediol under mild conditions. After investigations of the reaction conditions a set of end‐of‐life PLA goods were subjected to degradation.