Depolymerization mechanisms and closed-loop assessment in polyester waste recycling

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50702-5
• Publication Date: 2024-07-25T01:01:46Z
• Authors: Jingjing Cao; Huaxing Liang; Jie Yang; Zhiyang Zhu; Jin Deng; Xiaodong Li; Menachem Elimelech; Xinglin Lu
• Keywords: Depolymerization; Poly ethylene; Dimethyl terephthalate

Alcoholysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste to produce monomers, including methanolysis yield dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and glycolysis generate bis-2-hydroxyethyl (BHET), is a promising strategy in PET management. Here, we introduce an efficient PET-alcoholysis approach utilizing oxygen-vacancy (V