In this study, we investigate the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of PET separated from a densified postconsumer plastic mix, with the aim of recovering its monomer. This second raw material is made up of 90% polyolefin, while the remaining 10% is made up of PET, traces of metals, paper, and glass. After preliminary separation by density in water, two batch experiments were performed on the sunken fraction (composed mainly of PET) in a stainless steel autoclave at 345 °C for 30 and 20 min. Both trials resulted in similar yields of the three phases. In particular, the solid yield is around 76% by weight. After a purification step, this phase was analyzed by UV–Vis, 1H-NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy and resulted to be constituted by terephthalic acid (TPA), a product of considerable industrial interest. The study proved that the hydrothermal liquefaction process coupled with density separation in water is effective for obtaining TPA from a densified postconsumer plastic mix, which can be used for new PET synthesis.

Enzymatic digestion is a promising alternative in the upconversion of plastic waste compared to traditional chemical recycling methods, because it warrants the use of milder conditions. However, enzymes are hardly able to penetrate the bulk of the plastic material; thus, a pretreatment is necessary to promote the reaction. In this study we investigate hydrothermal liquefaction as a thermal pretreatment of a commercial polyurethane before performing an enzymatic digestion. The feedstock is a rigid polyurethane foam. The structure and chemical composition of the feedstock were analyzed through FTIR analysis and solid-state 13 C NMR. The polyurethane was then subjected to hydrothermal liquefaction using either ultrapure water or KOH as a basic catalyst. Enzymatic digestion was then performed on the organic fraction obtained from both experiments using a lipase extracted from Candida rugosa. The LC-MS analysis of the digests shows an increase in some signal intensities due to the degradation of oligomeric fragments. This new way of recycling allows the recovery of important chemicals such as quinolines and 4,4′-methylenedianiline. With this study we demonstrate that hydrothermal liquefaction coupled with enzymatic digestion is a suitable alternative for handling polyurethane waste.