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<p>A sustainable plastics future will require high recycling rates and the use of biogenic feedstocks, which together are catalyzing interest in replacing fossil fuel-derived, noncircular polyolefin packaging materials with bio-based, chemically recyclable polyesters. Here we present a catalytic methanolysis process capable of depolymerizing both fossil fuel- and bio-based polyesters, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid, polybutylene adipate terephthalate and polybutylene succinate in one reactor under mild conditions with high monomer yields. We scaled this process to 1 kg and integrated separations engineering using activated carbon, crystallization, extraction and distillation to remove contaminants and recover individual monomers from depolymerized mixed polyesters with high yield and purity. PET synthesized from monomers isolated from postconsumer materials showed comparable mechanical and thermal properties to PET from commercial monomers. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment show that this process is economically viable and exhibits lower environmental impacts than primary production of respective polymers.</p><p></p>

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Closed-loop recycling of mixed polyesters via catalytic methanolysis and monomer separations

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月8日

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  • Julia B. Curley,
  • Yuanzhe Liang,
  • Jason S. DesVeaux,
  • Hoon Choi,
  • Ryan W. Clarke,
  • Anjani K. Maurya,
  • William E. Michener,
  • Lisa M. Stanley,
  • Yue Wu,
  • Sarah A. Hesse,
  • Andrea L. Baer,
  • Hudson A. Neyer,
  • Christopher J. Tassone,
  • Alan J. Jacobsen,
  • Ofei D. Mante,
  • Gregg T. Beckham,
  • Katrina M. Knauer

摘要

A sustainable plastics future will require high recycling rates and the use of biogenic feedstocks, which together are catalyzing interest in replacing fossil fuel-derived, noncircular polyolefin packaging materials with bio-based, chemically recyclable polyesters. Here we present a catalytic methanolysis process capable of depolymerizing both fossil fuel- and bio-based polyesters, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid, polybutylene adipate terephthalate and polybutylene succinate in one reactor under mild conditions with high monomer yields. We scaled this process to 1 kg and integrated separations engineering using activated carbon, crystallization, extraction and distillation to remove contaminants and recover individual monomers from depolymerized mixed polyesters with high yield and purity. PET synthesized from monomers isolated from postconsumer materials showed comparable mechanical and thermal properties to PET from commercial monomers. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment show that this process is economically viable and exhibits lower environmental impacts than primary production of respective polymers.