Chemical recycling of PET to value-added products

Jia, Zixian; Gao, Lin; Qin, Lijiao; Yin, Jianzhong

doi:10.1039/d3su00311f

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 108 publications

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“…So far, it has mainly been applied to PET issued from bottles, from packaging, or in pure form and was recently reviewed. 294–299 Different valuable substances can be obtained, among them functional TA and EG derivatives, 300 organic building blocks and bio-products, 301 new polymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PAHs), 302 or other valuable bio-based polymers, 303–305 and membranes. 306 PET upcycling can also produce fuels such as dihydrogen, 307,308 foods (bacterial biomass), or functional materials such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) or vitrimers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical recycling of polyester textile wastes: shifting towards sustainability

El Darai,

Ter-Halle,

Blanzat

et al. 2024

Green Chem.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical recycling of polyester textile wastes: shifting towards sustainability

El Darai,

Ter-Halle,

Blanzat

et al. 2024

Green Chem.

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“…Quaternary recycling is usually applied when gathering, sorting, and separating PET waste proves challenging or economically unfeasibility, or poses toxicity concerns [ 87 ]. However, since pyrolysis completely destroys the PET material, it cannot yield recyclable plastics like the other recycling methods [ 47 ].…”

Section: Pet Recycling Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on recent studies (Scopus database), glycolysis is seen as an effective method for PET chemical recycling because it operates under milder conditions, uses less-volatile solvents, and yields a relatively pure monomer [ 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Consequently, by employing ethylene glycol (EG) as a solvent, one can add value to waste by transforming PET into the commonly utilized monomer, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) [ 44 , 47 ]. The depolymerization of PET by glycolysis was first approached in 1989 ( Figure 4 ).…”

Section: General Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Recycled by Catalytic Glycolysis: A Bridge toward Circular Economy Principles

Enache,

Grecu,

Samoila

2024

Materials

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Plastic pollution has escalated into a critical global issue, with production soaring from 2 million metric tons in 1950 to 400.3 million metric tons in 2022. The packaging industry alone accounts for nearly 44% of this production, predominantly utilizing polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Alarmingly, over 90% of the approximately 1 million PET bottles sold every minute end up in landfills or oceans, where they can persist for centuries. This highlights the urgent need for sustainable management and recycling solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of PET waste. To better understand PET’s behavior and promote its management within a circular economy, we examined its chemical and physical properties, current strategies in the circular economy, and the most effective recycling methods available today. Advancing PET management within a circular economy framework by closing industrial loops has demonstrated benefits such as reduced landfill waste, minimized energy consumption, and conserved raw resources. To this end, we identified and examined various strategies based on R-imperatives (ranging from 3R to 10R), focusing on the latest approaches aimed at significantly reducing PET waste by 2040. Additionally, a comparison of PET recycling methods (including primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary recycling, along with the concepts of “zero-order” and biological recycling techniques) was envisaged. Particular attention was paid to the heterogeneous catalytic glycolysis, which stands out for its rapid reaction time (20–60 min), high monomer yields (>90%), ease of catalyst recovery and reuse, lower costs, and enhanced durability. Accordingly, the use of highly efficient oxide-based catalysts for PET glycolytic degradation is underscored as a promising solution for large-scale industrial applications.

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“…10,11 Another approach is chemical recycling of PET at the molecular level, which encompasses the depolymerization of PET waste into virgin monomers or value-added chemicals. 12–15 For example, a library of excellent research studies has upcycled PET waste into specific key intermediates for the synthesis of functional polymers such as polyurethane, 16 polyester, 17–19 polyimine, 20 epoxy, 21 acrylic and alkyd resins, 22 as well as small molecules such as p -xylene, 23 formate salts, 24 and dichloroethane. 25 However, owing to deep depolymerization at the molecular level, chemical recycling faces difficulty in separation and purification of small molecule products.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%