The use of protic ionic liquids enhances the chemical revalorization of post-consumer PET: towards a circular economy

The Materials and Sustainability Research Group (MATS) at the Universitat de Valencia continues promoting the circular economy with its recent publication in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering.

The article "Chemical recycling of post-consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) driven by the protic ionic liquid 2-HEAA: performance, kinetics and mechanism" presents an innovative study on the use of the protic ionic liquid 2-hydroxyethyl ammonium acetate (2-HEAA) as a homogeneous catalytic co-solvent in the chemical recycling process of post-consumer PET.

The study demonstrates that 2-HEAA not only facilitates the conversion of PET into valuable products such as BHET (bis(2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate)), but also provides a detailed kinetic model to optimize the revalorization process. Various experimental conditions (temperature, plastic/solvent ratio, and plastic/ionic liquid ratio) were analyzed, yielding an apparent activation energy of 60.5 kJ·mol⁻¹, positioning 2-HEAA as a promising option for large-scale recycling.

One of the most important findings is the high reusability of 2-HEAA, which has shown to be effective in up to four recycling cycles, increasing its viability for sustainable industrial processes. The research highlights the importance of optimizing reaction conditions and the relevance of temperature and reactant ratios in this chemical revalorization process.

The full paper can be accessed through this link to its DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.113134

Detailed publication information is available on the MATS website.