Yoshi Marien tenure track asst. professor

Research Yoshi Marien

Research team

Expertise

My research focuses on polymer production and recycling. Key focus areas are (i) polymerization in homogeneous and aqueous dispersed phase systems, including the use of biobased or/and recycled monomers, (ii) the design of multifunctional polymeric composites, and (iii) chemical recycling via depolymerization. Process and material design are performed using both experimental techniques as well as multi-scale simulations and machine learning.

Process-structure-property relationships for a new class of biobased acrylic coatings. 01/04/2026 - 31/03/2030

Abstract

Acrylic resins are widely used as binder in coatings. A key sustainability goal for the production of this important class of polymer resins is to shift from non-renewable fossil-based to renewable (e.g. biobased) resources. To achieve this goal, two major challenges need to be addressed. First of all, new efficient production routes for acrylic resins containing a mix of different biobased functional units need to be developed. Secondly, a detailed understanding of the relationship between (i) the process conditions applied during production of the resin (and curing of the coating), (ii) the macromolecular structure (before and after curing) and (iii) the (cured) coating properties, needs to be obtained. Focusing on solvent-borne coatings, solutions for these two challenges are provided in this project by (i) introducing new functionalization strategies for biobased acrylic platform monomers and (ii) systematically unravelling process-structure-property relationships via a newly developed multiscale machine learning supported workflow.

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  • Research Project

PA-Link: creation of an industrial raw material as missing link in the circular value chain for polyamides 10/10/2025 - 09/04/2027

Abstract

Polyamides are used as technical plastics by numerous medium sized companies in the production for e.g. parts of electric tools, vehicles, or aluminium windows. The complete value chain, from petrochemical via chemical building blocks (e.g. caprolactam) into finished products is strongly represented in the province Antwerp. Today the polyamide value chain is not circular. This project aims to sort polyamides out of complex mixed waste streams, by using chemical and spectral analysis, coupled with artificial intelligence. The polyamide waste stream can than be transformed into new installations designed for chemical recycling, another key industrial activity in Antwerp.

Researcher(s)

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  • Research Project

Separation Technology to Refine and Improve Carbamate Thermolysis for polyurethane recycling. 01/05/2025 - 30/04/2026

Abstract

This project starts from the patented technology to produce isocyanate-rich resins directly from polyurethane waste, through a two-step process in which polyol recovery is coupled with thermolysis of the resulting carbamate fraction. This is strategically very important to obtain the independence of the recycling market from phosgene plants. Previous research within iPRACS allowed obtaining high conversion and reasonable yields of isocyanate on a small scale in batch reactors, and a glimpse into the potential value of the reactive resins formed. Currently, chemical knowledge regarding reaction pathways is being completed (thanks to an ongoing PhD). Although the technology shows promise, some knowledge gaps stand in the way of subsequent scale-up. First, we need to better understand thermolysis kinetics to minimize side reactions, and we wish to optimize the in-silico separation to obtain higher yields of isocyanate monomers. We aim to do this in the present project proposal, using applied computational chemistry, kinetic models and thermodynamic process simulations. In addition, we are working toward an initial scale-up to a semi-continuous reactor setup to increase the yield and quality of valuable isocyanate resins.

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project