Why has PET glycolysis remained difficult to industrialize despite decades of optimization?
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Classical PET glycolysis struggles with industrial scale-up due to a research paradigm defect: uncoupled reaction optimization that ignores system-level engineering entropy. By establishing a governing reference frame, Scientific Reasoning Units (SRUs) and human-AI collaborative discovery in this article, we present a Three-Step Synergistic Reinforcement Paradigm addressing the triple failure modes of traditional systems-mass-transfer collapse, viscosity deadlock, and side-reaction accumulation. By integrating twin-screw controlled shearing, solid-state micro-homogenization, and deep depolymerization (2:1 EG/Oligomer ratio), we achieve an ultrafast kinetic regime. BHET yields surge to 80% to 95% within 10 minutes, eliminating multi-hour thermal bottlenecks and delivering an economically viable framework for closed-loop polyester recycling.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Author: Liu, Xiaohui
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221576756