Issue 13, 2023

Chemical recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) via sequential glycolysis, oleoyl chloride esterification and vulcanization to yield durable composites

Abstract

Herein we report a method for the chemical recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) by a three-stage process employing sustainably-sourced organic materials and industrial byproduct sulfur. In this protocol, PET was subject to glycolysis with diethylene glycol to yield low molecular weight oligomers with hydroxyl end groups. The glycolyzed PET (GPET) was then reacted with oleoyl chloride to yield esterified PET (EPET) containing vulcanizable olefin units. The oligomers constituting GPET and EPET were elucidated by MALDI-TOF spectrometry. EPET underwent inverse vulcanization with elemental sulfur (90 wt%) for 35 min or 24 h to yield xPES or mPES, respectively. The composition, thermal, morphological, thermal and mechanical properties were characterized. The composites exhibited good to excellent mechanical properties that were improved significantly by extending the reaction time from 35 min used to prepare xPES (compressive strength = 10.5 MPa, flexural strength = 2.7 MPa) to 24 h used to prepare mPES (compressive strength = 26.9 MPa, flexural strength = 7.7 MPa). Notably, the compressive and flexural strengths of mPES represent 158% and 208% of the values required for residential building foundations made from traditional materials such as ordinary Portland cement. The three-stage approach delineated herein thus represents a way to mediate chemical recycling of waste plastic with green coreagents to yield composites having mechanical properties competitive with existing commercial structural materials.

Graphical abstract: Chemical recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) via sequential glycolysis, oleoyl chloride esterification and vulcanization to yield durable composites

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 out 2022
Accepted
27 mai 2023
First published
02 jun 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Adv., 2023,4, 2785-2793

Chemical recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) via sequential glycolysis, oleoyl chloride esterification and vulcanization to yield durable composites

C. V. Lopez and R. C. Smith, Mater. Adv., 2023, 4, 2785 DOI: 10.1039/D2MA00986B

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