Simultaneous Material and Chemical Recycling of Waste PET/PE Multi‐Layer Films under Hydrothermal Conditions

Multi‐layer plastic films are widely used in various fields especially for packaging, but due to complex composition, it is very difficult to recover single‐material polymers or high‐purity monomers from them after usage. In this study, we proposed a hydrothermal process for recycling PET/PE (PET: P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2024-10, Vol.63 (44), p.e202410888-n/a
Main Authors: Zheng, Qingxin, Suga, Yoshiki, Su, Yu, Yamaguchi, Hiroya, Watanabe, Masaru
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical recycling
Ethylene glycol
Fluid filters
Hydrothermal
Hydrothermal systems
Monomers
Multi-layer film
PET/PE
Plastic recycling
Polyethylene terephthalate
Polymer films
Polymers
Product separation
Purity
Recycling
Terephthalic acid
Waste recycling
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Summary:Multi‐layer plastic films are widely used in various fields especially for packaging, but due to complex composition, it is very difficult to recover single‐material polymers or high‐purity monomers from them after usage. In this study, we proposed a hydrothermal process for recycling PET/PE (PET: Polyethylene terephthalate; PE: Polyethylene) films. PET can be hydrolyzed to monomers of terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). Using a hydrothermal system equipped with two filters, PE, TPA, and EG were collected separately, indicating the simultaneous material and chemical recycling of PET/PE films was firstly achieved. At 300 °C and 10 MPa for 60 min, PET conversion reached around 100 %, and TPA yield of 83.0 % was obtained with a high TPA purity of 96.1 %. In addition, the effect of the holding time on PET conversion, TPA yield, EG yield, and TPA purity was studied. This research opened up a new and sustainable pathway to recycle multi‐layer plastic films in both lab and industry. Here, we propose a hydrothermal process equipped with two filters for recycling PET/PE (PET: Polyethylene terephthalate; PE: Polyethylene) multi‐layer films. At 300 °C and 10 MPa, around 100 % of PET is hydrolyzed to monomers of terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). Meanwhile, PE, TPA, and EG are collected separately using the same system, indicating the simultaneous material and chemical recycling of PET/PE films is firstly achieved.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.202410888