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

• Published in: INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY & MATERIALS
• Main Authors: Awang, Nor Wahida Binti; Hadiyono, Muhammad Aidel Bin Ratno; Abdellatif, Mohamed Mehawed; Nomura, Kotohiro
• Format: Article; Early Access
• Language: English
• Published: ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY 2024
• Subjects: Engineering; Materials Science
• Online Access: https://www-webofscience-com.uitm.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/full-recordWOS:001362855500001

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 degrees 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.