Work

Re-directing mixed-feed deconstruction products to hybrid polyesters: Tolerance windows for commodity plastics reconstruction

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • High-performance hybrid polyesters achieved with up to 10 % comonomer “contamination”. • Mechanical testing shows strong, ductile materials with minimal property loss. • Blending hybrids into PET/PBAT retains performance with no phase separation. • Contamination tolerance established for polyester repolymerization from recycled monomers. Solvolysis is a promising strategy for mixed-feed polyester recycling, but little attention has been given to downstream product separations or the impact of using imperfectly separated monomer mixtures in recycled polymer reconstruction. Here, we challenge the traditional need for high-purity monomers in polycondensation synthesis of engineering thermoplastics. Monomer mixtures are derived from catalyzed methanolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and polybutylene adipate- co -terephthalate (PBAT), with separation scenarios ranging from high (99:1) to low (90:10) purity. We focus on challenging-to-separate products like ethylene glycol and 1,4-butanediol and evaluate tolerance for comonomer incorporation in recycled hybrid polyesters: polybutylene- co -ethylene terephthalate (PBET) and polybutylene ethylene adipate- co -terephthalate (PBEAT). Evaluations are made between “contaminant” monomer incorporation, and the resulting materials’ thermal properties, crystalline structure, tensile toughness, and rheology. Ultimately, we highlight that despite incorporation of contaminant monomer, high-performance hybrid polyesters of PET, PBT, and PBAT are obtained while reducing the strain of high-throughput separations.

Source: Resources Conservation and Recycling

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108439