STUDY OF THE GLYCOLYSIS OF POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE WASTE

The glycolysis of recycled poly (ethylene terephthalate) flakes obtained from IFRI (an industrial manufacturer in Algeria) using excess ethylene glycol (EG) in the presence of zinc acetate as a catalyst was investigated. Bis-2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate (BHET) and oligomers are the main glycolysis products. The influences of glycolysis temperature, time, and amount of catalyst (zinc acetate) were observed. When a temperature of 190 degrees C, a reaction time of 90 min, and a concentration of 0.0005 mol of catalyst (zinc acetate) were used, the glycolysis conversion was almost 100% and the yield of BHET was 77%. The glycolysis conversion and yields of BHET and oligomers increased significantly with the glycolysis temperature and glycolysis time and amount of zinc acetate as well. The glycolysis products were analysed by chemical titration and identified by different techniques, such as H-1 NMR, IR spectroscopy and DSC.