Researcher(s)
- Ethan Speerli, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Dionisios Vlachos, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware
Abstract
The accumulation of plastic waste in society has led to urgent calls to initiate new methods for plastic waste recycling. Additionally, the use of petroleum as a feedstock for plastic production underscores the need for sustainable carbon feedstocks, most notably from lignocellulosic biomass. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used for beverage bottles, fibers, and packaging. It is derived from petrochemicals and can be chemically recycled to its monomer using various solvolysis reactions. One bio-derived candidate to replace PET is polyethylene furan-2,5-dicarboxylate (PEF). Excitingly, PEF exhibits enhanced gas barrier properties over PET, an important property in packaging. Presently, there is very little research on chemical recycling of PEF. Current efforts have focused on using harsh solvents and reaction conditions to depolymerize PEF. Here, we use nontoxic, Earth-abundant zinc oxide catalysts for the methanolysis of PEF to its monomer dimethyl furan dicarboxylate (DMF). We leverage microwave-assisted heating as the power source as methanol, the reaction solvent, is an excellent microwave susceptor. We assess the feasibility of microwave-based PEF methanolysis and optimize reaction conditions. The role of temperature and PEF particle size are revealed. The conversion of PEF and product selectivity are compared against the glycolysis of both PET and PEF.