Upcycling of Waste Poly(ethylene Terephthalate): Ammonolysis Kinetics of Model Bis(2-Hydroxyethyl Terephthalate) and Particle Size Effects in Polymeric Substrates.

ABSTRACT: Chemical upcycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) through ammonolysis is pursued. Model studies are conducted on bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate reacting with ammonia in the presence of excess ethylene glycol (EG) to form terephthalamide. Reactions conducted over the range of temperatures from 50 to 125 °C yield pre-exponential factors of A₁ = 758 ± 120 L mol^-1 h^{- 1}/A₂ = 1033 ± 220 L mol^-1 h^{- 1} and activation energies of E_a1 = 22.1 ± 1.5 kJ mol^-1 and Ea₂ = 26.5 ± 2.1 kJ mol^-1. Diffusional limitations are explored using particle sizes in the ranges of 1800-2500 μm, 250-600 μm, and 150-250 μm. Data from the particle size experiments is combined with the

SUBMITTER: Peterson RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12302304 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature