Preparation of perovskite catalysts and their mechanism of catalytic degradation and regeneration of waste polyisocyanurate

Polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam is a modified polyurethane material that is a waste containing highly cross-linked cold-chains. In this study, we used a perovskite catalyst prepared by the sol–gel method in synergy with a dual-component alcoholysis agent for the efficient degradation of waste PIR foam. The results suggest that the perovskite catalyst with LaNiO 3 was applied to degrade PIR for obtaining the lowest viscosity of the alcoholic digest (3768.4 mPa·s). Infrared spectral analysis indicated that the structure of the alcohol digest obtained after alcoholysis was similar to that of polyether polyol used in the production of PIR raw materials. The recycled PIR foam was obtained by partially replacing virgin polyol with an alcohol-decomposed material for refoaming, and had better thermal properties, higher apparent density, and compression strength than the virgin PIR foam. The results of this study can be an effective aid for the large-scale recycling and reuse of waste PIR foam.