Oligoester and Polyester Production via Acido-alcoholysis of PET Waste

Authors

  • Levente Kárpáti
    Affiliation
    Laboratory of Plastics and Rubber Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary
  • Györgyi Szarka
    Affiliation
    Polymer Chemistry Research Group, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
  • Mátyás Hartman
    Affiliation
    Zöld Híd Régió Nonprofit Kft., Gödöllő, Hungary
  • Viktória Vargha
    Affiliation
    Laboratory of Plastics and Rubber Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary
https://doi.org/10.3311/PPch.11513

Abstract

A new chemical way has been introduced to recycle poly(ethylene terephthalate) via acido-alcoholysis. Acido-alcoholysis has been developed as a green way to produce oligoesters from PET waste which can be used as building blocks to new compostable polyesters. Organic acids and 1,4-butanediol were used as reagents. The solvolysis products were further reacted with diglycidyl ethers of different diols to obtain higher molecular weight polyesters. The resulted materials were tested with GPC, FTIR, TGA, functional group analysis methods and composting. It was found that the reagents in acido-alcoholysis fully incorporated into the reaction product obtaining oligoesters with carboxyl and hydroxyl end groups. Significant mass loss and fragmentation was observed on oligo- and polyesters after composting.

Keywords:

chemichal recycling, PET, oligoesters, biodegradation

Citation data from Crossref and Scopus

Published Online

2018-02-16

How to Cite

Kárpáti, L., Szarka, G., Hartman, M., Vargha, V. “Oligoester and Polyester Production via Acido-alcoholysis of PET Waste”, Periodica Polytechnica Chemical Engineering, 62(3), pp. 336–344, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3311/PPch.11513

Issue

Section

Articles