Efficient and Economical Glycolysis Depolymerization of Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Using a Recoverable Polyelectrolyte Catalyst
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Glycolysis has been considered one of the most promising pathways for converting Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into monomeric feedstock—bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET)—which can be used as a starting material to produce virgin PET. In this process, metal salts, such as zinc acetate, are generally used as catalysts for the glycolysis of PET. However, metal-based salt catalysts can be included in the final products, significantly reducing the quality of the chemically recycled PET. Here, we present a novel organic catalyst based on polyelectrolytes that offers excellent thermal stability, ease of separation, and reusability. The recovered polyelectrolyte bead catalyst can be reused more than 10 times while maintaining over a 90% depolymerization yield and producing high-purity BHET. Additionally, the catalyst can be easily recovered by size, enabling continuous processing and simplifying the BHET purification steps, resulting in a highly economical and innovative approach.