Depolymerization of PET with ethanol by homogeneous iron catalysts applied for exclusive chemical recycling of cloth waste

Abstract

Acid-, base-free depolymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with ethanol catalyzed by FeCl3, FeBr3 (1.0–5.0 mol%) gave diethyl terephthalate (DET) and ethylene glycol (EG) exclusively (98–99%, 160–180 °C), and FeCl3 showed better catalytic performance in terms of activity. The FeCl3 catalyst enabled exclusive, selective depolymerization of PET from textile waste to afford DET (and recovered cotton waste), strongly suggesting the possibility of chemical recycling of cloth waste by the transesterification in this catalysis.

Keywords: Depolymerization; PET; Chemical recycling; Textile waste management; Homogeneous catalyst.

Graphical abstract: Depolymerization of PET with ethanol by homogeneous iron catalysts applied for exclusive chemical recycling of cloth waste

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Jun 2024
Accepted
06 Aug 2024
First published
06 Aug 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Ind. Chem. Mater., 2024, Advance Article

Depolymerization of PET with ethanol by homogeneous iron catalysts applied for exclusive chemical recycling of cloth waste

N. W. B. Awang, M. A. B. R. Hadiyono, M. M. Abdellatif and K. Nomura, Ind. Chem. Mater., 2024, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D4IM00081A

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