Toxic phthalate-free and highly plasticized polyvinyl chloride materials from non-timber forest resources in plantation

In this study, dehydroabietic acid derivatives containing primary amine groups were synthezied from one of the most important non-timber forest resources in plantation. Phthalate-free and highly plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials were produced via substituting chlorine of PVC with dehydroabietic acid derivatives containing primary amine groups. Performance of phthalate-free and highly plasticized PVC materials including pyrolysis and tensile property, solvent extraction resistance and lattice structure, the relationship between plasticizing property and hydrogen bond were investigated and compared with plasticized PVC materials containing toxic phthalate plasticizers. The phthalate-free and highly plasticized PVC materials exhibited more flexible than PVC and higher solvent extraction performance than plasticized PVC materials with phthalate plasticizers. Some environmental performance such as releasing less asphyxiating gases during thermal degradation than PVC, not containing toxic phthalate esters and no plasticizer migration was obtained. The highly plasticized PVC materials are promising to find application in various fields as a replacement of plasticized PVC materials containing toxic phthalate plasticizers. The study provides new way for chemical transformation and improving added value of non-timber forest resources in plantation.