Degradation of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) in a steam atmosphere to recover terephthalic acid and to minimize carbonaceous residue

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste was successfully decomposed in a steam atmosphere, yielding an amount of terephthalic acid predicted from the chemical formula of PET. It was found that steam accelerated the hydrolysis of PET, yielding terephthalic acid and oxygen-containing compounds such a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymer degradation and stability 1997-01, Vol.58 (3), p.315-320
Main Authors: Masuda, Takao, Miwa, Yasuo, Tamagawa, Atsushi, Mukai, Shin R., Hashimoto, Kenji, Ikeda, Yuichi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Exact sciences and technology
Polymer industry, paints, wood
Technology of polymers
Waste treatment
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Summary:Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste was successfully decomposed in a steam atmosphere, yielding an amount of terephthalic acid predicted from the chemical formula of PET. It was found that steam accelerated the hydrolysis of PET, yielding terephthalic acid and oxygen-containing compounds such as aldehyde and ester with less than 1% carbonaceous residue. The amount of carbonaceous residue decreased with an increase in the fraction of steam in the carrier gas and was about 16% in nitrogen steam and below 1% in steam. The amount of terephthalic acid predicted from the chemical formula of PET (about 87%) was recovered at about 723 K in a carrier gas containing 70% steam and 30% nitrogen. Kinetic equations are proposed by considering both the hydrolysis and thermal pyrolysis of PET.
ISSN:0141-3910
1873-2321
DOI:10.1016/S0141-3910(97)00086-4