Effect of atmosphere and catalyst on reducing bisphenol A (BPA) emission during thermal degradation of polycarbonate

Bisphenol A (BPA), a well-known endocrine disruptor, is one of the major products in the thermal degradation of polycarbonate (PC) and is also leached out from various PC products. Because of the high acute toxicity of BPA, reducing BPA production during degradation of PC is an important topic. A combined Infrared Image Furnace with Ion attachment mass spectrometry technique was used to investigate the evolution of BPA from a PC sample during heating in either nitrogen or air atmosphere and with or without a CuCl2 catalyst. Thermal treatment in the presence of CuCl2, in nitrogen atmospheres and at lower degradation temperatures, substantially reduced the BPA emission.