Chemical recycling of post-consumer polyester wastes using a tertiary amine organocatalyst

Xie, Shaoqu; Wang, Caiqi; Hu, Wenda; Hu, Jian Zhi; Wang, Yong; Dong, Zhun; Intan, Nadia N.; Pfaendtner, Jim; Lin, Hongfei

doi:10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.102145

Chemical recycling of post-consumer polyester wastes using a tertiary amine organocatalyst

Journal Article · Tue Aug 06 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Cell Reports Physical Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.102145· OSTI ID:2483565

Xie, Shaoqu ^[1]; ^[1]; Hu, Wenda ^[2]; Hu, Jian Zhi ^[2]; Wang, Yong ^[2]; Dong, Zhun ^[1]; Intan, Nadia N. ^[3]; Pfaendtner, Jim ^[4]; ^[5]

Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Institute for Integrated Catalysis
Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)
Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Recycling diverse waste plastics poses challenges due to complex sorting and processing, resulting in high costs and inefficiency. To tackle this, we present a metal-free catalytic sorting method for targeted deconstruction of polyester from post-consumer plastic waste, encompassing textiles, plastic mixtures, and multilayer packaging materials. This method employs N-methylpiperidine, a tertiary amine catalyst in methanol, to depolymerize polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Operating under these conditions (160°C, 1 h), we achieve 100% yields of dimethyl terephthalate and ethylene glycol. This technique also effectively breaks down other polyesters, including polylactic acid, polycarbonate, and polybutylene terephthalate, yielding high-yield monomers at relatively low temperatures. Through comprehensive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, we propose that N-methylpiperidine’s role is in enhancing methanol nucleophilicity and activating PET’s ester bond. Our insights advance the chemical recycling of post-consumer plastic waste, offering a potentially simple and efficient path to closing the polyester production loop.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division (CSGB)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 2483565

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA--202634

Journal Information:: Cell Reports Physical Science, Journal Name: Cell Reports Physical Science Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 5; ISSN 2666-3864

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Chemical recycling of post-consumer polyester wastes using a tertiary amine organocatalyst

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