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Efficient Fe3O4 nanoparticle catalysts for depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate.
- Source :
- Green Chemistry; 10/21/2023, Vol. 25 Issue 20, p8160-8171, 12p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be recovered as high-purity bis(2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate) (BHET) monomer by glycolysis in the presence of Fe<subscript>3</subscript>O<subscript>4</subscript> nanoparticles (NPs). In this study, Fe<subscript>3</subscript>O<subscript>4</subscript> NPs of various shapes, sizes, and surface areas were synthesized using different colloidal synthesis methods, and the conversion of PET glycolysis and BHET yield were compared. Spinel ferrite NPs, including Fe<subscript>3</subscript>O<subscript>4</subscript>, were synthesized using the coprecipitation (CP), thermal decomposition (TD), and the hydrothermal (H) methods. Among the NP catalysts, Fe<subscript>3</subscript>O<subscript>4</subscript>-CP exhibited the best glycolysis performance with a PET conversion of ∼100% and BHET yield of 93.5% at 195 °C for 2 h owing to its high surface area (146.6 m<superscript>2</superscript> g<superscript>−1</superscript>). The larger the surface area and the better the dispersion, the higher the glycolysis activity. The glycolysis performance of the mixed spinel ferrite NPs was similar to that of the Fe<subscript>3</subscript>O<subscript>4</subscript> NPs, indicating that replacing Fe<superscript>2+</superscript> in the Fe<subscript>3</subscript>O<subscript>4</subscript> NPs with other transition metals, M<superscript>2+</superscript>, did not significantly change the glycolysis performance. BHET monomers produced from commercial waste PET bottles in large quantities contained trace amounts of metal contaminants, because PET production uses various metal-based additives and catalysts. Amberlite IRC-120, a cation-exchange resin, effectively removed metal impurities from BHET. This study provides an effective strategy for producing recycled PET (r-PET) by waste PET glycolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14639262
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 20
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Green Chemistry
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 172981182
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1039/d3gc01707a