In this study, we investigate the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of PET separated from a densified postconsumer plastic mix, with the aim of recovering its monomer. This second raw material is made up of 90% polyolefin, while the remaining 10% is made up of PET, traces of metals, paper, and glass. After preliminary separation by density in water, two batch experiments were performed on the sunken fraction (composed mainly of PET) in a stainless steel autoclave at 345 ◦C for 30 and 20 min. Both trials resulted in similar yields of the three phases. In particular, the solid yield is around 76% by weight. After a purification step, this phase was analyzed by UV–Vis, 1H-NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy and resulted to be constituted by terephthalic acid (TPA), a product of considerable industrial interest. The study proved that the hydrothermal liquefaction process coupled with density separation in water is effective for obtaining TPA from a densified postconsumer plastic mix, which can be used for new PET synthesis.

Recovery of Terephthalic Acid from Densified Post-consumer Plastic Mix by HTL Process / Agostini, Ilaria; Ciuffi, Benedetta; Gallorini, Riccardo; Rizzo, Andrea Maria; Chiaramonti, David; Rosi, Luca. - In: MOLECULES. - ISSN 1420-3049. - ELETTRONICO. - 27:(2022), pp. 7112.0-7112.0. [10.3390/molecules27207112]

Recovery of Terephthalic Acid from Densified Post-consumer Plastic Mix by HTL Process

Agostini, Ilaria;Ciuffi, Benedetta;Gallorini, Riccardo;Rizzo, Andrea Maria;Chiaramonti, David;Rosi, Luca
Conceptualization
2022

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of PET separated from a densified postconsumer plastic mix, with the aim of recovering its monomer. This second raw material is made up of 90% polyolefin, while the remaining 10% is made up of PET, traces of metals, paper, and glass. After preliminary separation by density in water, two batch experiments were performed on the sunken fraction (composed mainly of PET) in a stainless steel autoclave at 345 ◦C for 30 and 20 min. Both trials resulted in similar yields of the three phases. In particular, the solid yield is around 76% by weight. After a purification step, this phase was analyzed by UV–Vis, 1H-NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy and resulted to be constituted by terephthalic acid (TPA), a product of considerable industrial interest. The study proved that the hydrothermal liquefaction process coupled with density separation in water is effective for obtaining TPA from a densified postconsumer plastic mix, which can be used for new PET synthesis.
2022
27
0
0
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
Agostini, Ilaria; Ciuffi, Benedetta; Gallorini, Riccardo; Rizzo, Andrea Maria; Chiaramonti, David; Rosi, Luca
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/1285851
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