Luqman Umdagas , Rafael Orozco , Kieran Heeley , William Thom , Bushra Al-Duri
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The increasing accumulation of waste Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) presents a critical environmental challenge. Despite significant efforts, traditional mechanical recycling methods for PET face numerous limitations, leading to exploring alternative recycling approaches. This review explores various chemical recycling techniques for PET, focusing on neutral hydrolysis as a promising method for achieving a sustainable, closed-loop recycling system. Unlike organic solvent-based methods, hydrolysis effectively processes heterogeneous PET waste streams, including copolyesters, offering the direct recovery of terephthalic acid (TPA), the primary monomer in the PET industry. Drawing upon established research and recent advancements, this review underscores the potential of hydrolysis to play a pivotal role in advancing a circular economy for PET, thereby offering a sustainable and effective solution to plastic waste management.
期刊介绍：
Polymer Degradation and Stability deals with the degradation reactions and their control which are a major preoccupation of practitioners of the many and diverse aspects of modern polymer technology.
Deteriorative reactions occur during processing, when polymers are subjected to heat, oxygen and mechanical stress, and during the useful life of the materials when oxygen and sunlight are the most important degradative agencies. In more specialised applications, degradation may be induced by high energy radiation, ozone, atmospheric pollutants, mechanical stress, biological action, hydrolysis and many other influences. The mechanisms of these reactions and stabilisation processes must be understood if the technology and application of polymers are to continue to advance. The reporting of investigations of this kind is therefore a major function of this journal.
However there are also new developments in polymer technology in which degradation processes find positive applications. For example, photodegradable plastics are now available, the recycling of polymeric products will become increasingly important, degradation and combustion studies are involved in the definition of the fire hazards which are associated with polymeric materials and the microelectronics industry is vitally dependent upon polymer degradation in the manufacture of its circuitry. Polymer properties may also be improved by processes like curing and grafting, the chemistry of which can be closely related to that which causes physical deterioration in other circumstances.
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