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The Recycling of

Polyethylene Terephthalate
Michelle Chong
Grace Kim
Cluster 8
COSMOS 2007

Problem: MSW rate


The amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced in
2005 was 245 million tons.
4.5 pounds of trash per person per day
(http://www.epa.gov/msw/facts.htm)

Our Subject

Recycled PET can be used for the same purposes

PET should be recycled because it is not


biodegradable
there are four main ways to recycle PET:

Courtesy of
http://www.akmarket.com

The recycling of polyethylene terephthalate


(PET), which is common in textiles and plastic
drink bottles.

Primary
Mechanical
Chemical
Energy recovery

Courtesy of
//

Courtesy of http://www.cotton.org

Recyclable Plastics
Six classifications of
plastics, each assigned
a number:
1. Polyethylene
http://eng.amipak.by/i/photo/page/
production/peffilm/ttt-018-big.jpg
Terephthalate
2. High-density
Polyethylene
3. Polyvinyl Chloride
of
4. Low-density Courtesy
http://www.airseacontainers.com
Polyethylene
5. Polypropylene
6. Polystyrene
http://www.flamar.it/images/tondi3.jpg

Courtesy of http://www.bayouplastics.com

Courtesy of http://www.a-plasticbag.com

http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/images/recycling/poly-chippings.gif

Primary Recycling

Deals with uncontaminated, clean PET


It is popular and inexpensive
There is a limited amount of PET available
Product can be mixed with pure PET or used as second-grade
material

(6)

Mechanical Recycling
Contamination removal
PET is sorted, ground into
flakes, and washed with
detergent or a solvent
Flakes are dried thoroughly
to prevent water from
ruining the product

Product
Flakes are melted and
extruded
Possibly cross-linked to
enhance properties

Courtesy http://www.made-in-china.com

Chemical Recycling
Hydrolysis
PET is depolymerized to
terephthalic acid (TPA) and
ethylene glycol (EG) by water in
an acid, alkaline, or neutral
environment
Requires high temperatures and
pressures and takes a long time;
costly

Methanolysis

Methanol depolymerizes PET


to dimethyl terephthalate
(DMT) and EG
High pressures and
temperatures
DMT can be collected and
used as a monomer to produce
new PET

(6)

Chemical Recycling ctd.


Glycolysis
EG is the reagent which partially depolymerizes PET into
oligomers
The process produces bis(hydroxyethyl) terephthalate
(BHET)
BHET is a substrate for the polymerization of PET
It can be collected and used to create new PET

(6)

Recycling by Energy Recovery


Energy is recovered from PET by
incineration
Process carried out in special
chambers in waste-to-energy facilities
Courtesy http://www.eia.doe.gov

Courtesy of Wikipedia

PET has a very high stored energy


value
There are 114 plants producing
energy to power 1.2 million homes
and businesses
There is a concern that incineration
releases toxic substances into the
air and is a hazard.

Plastic Factories

The first PET bottle was recycled in 1977.


Generally, plastic bottles factories manufacturers
prefer to use new resin rather than recycled
because it is cheaper.
www.formedfiber.com

www.selectdirect.us

PET (polyethylene terephthalate)

www.vancecounty.com

95% plastic bottles are made from either PET or HDPE


PET makes up about 48% of all plastics
The recycling rates for plastic bottles however only
remain at 25%.
The plastics that are not recycled will stay in
landfills FOREVER and never degrade.
www.packworld.com

www.townsville.qld.gov.au

PET Recycling
167 million pounds of PET bottles were recycled last year.
But 271 million pounds still ended up going to waste.
In the United States alone, there are over 20,000 plastic
recycling programs; 10,000 of them are only for PET bottles.
In 1996, 130 million cubic yards was conserved from
landfills, and by 2005 it had increased to about 195 million
cubic yards.

www.rirrc.org

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Did You Know?

Patagonia, Global Green, E-Wear,


Deja Shoe, Wickers and Reebok
are companies that use recycled
PET plastic in their products.
Carpet is also made from PET plastic because
it is sturdier than most nylon.
The bumpers produced by Ford Motor
Company are made from millions of
pounds of PET plastic.

www.myairshoes.com

www.carpetandcanefurniture.co.ukhttp://www.ci.keene.nh.us/publicworks/recycle/wearasodabottle.html

www.keilautogroup.com

Biodegradable Plastics
Though biodegradable plastics have been
around for a long time, the high expense
has never made it appealing.
The reasoning behind non-degradable
plastics is because their long polymer
molecules are too large and too tightly
bonded together to be broken
apart and assimilated by
decomposer organisms.
Gauss View

Polyethylene Terephthalate

Biodegradable Plastics ctd.

Starch, a natural polymer produced from corn, wheat or


potatoes can be used in plastics because it contains the
molecular structure that can be broken down by
microorganisms.
Due the fact that starch is soluble in water, it is first converted
into lactic acid. The polymer, polylactide, is used in plastics.
The price of biodegradable plastics being 2- 10 times more
expensive than PET bottles, it is not very favorable in current
markets.
Lactic Acid

Courtesy of:
news.softpedia.com
commons.wikimedia.org

Credits

Awaja, Firas, and Dumitru Pavel. "Recycling of PET." European Polymer


Journal
41.7(2005): 1453-1477.
Lotfi, Ahmad. "Plastic Recycling." 25 July 2007
<http://www.lotfi.net/recycle/plastic.html>.
"Municipal Solid Waste." 1 June 2007. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. 25 July 2007 <http://www.epa.gov/msw/facts.htm>.
"Plastics." 11 May 2006. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 27 July 2007
<http://www.epa.gov/msw/plastic.htm>.
Karayannidis, George P., and Dimitris S. Achilias. "Chemical Recycling of
Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)." Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
292.2
(2007): 128-146.
Subramian, P.M. "Plastics recycling and waste management in the US."
Resources, Conservation, and Recycling 28(2000): 253-263.
http://www.scdhec.gov/eqc/outreach/pubs/9-12_37.pdf
http://www.container-recycling.org/mediafold/newsrelease/plastic/2006-12-8PlasticBottleRecy.htm
http://www.ci.keene.nh.us/publicworks/recycle/wearasodabottle.html
http://www.napcor.com/funfacts.htm
http://www.scdhec.gov/eqc/outreach/pubs/9-12_37.pdf
http://biodegradableplastics.bio-tec.biz/

Acknowledgements
Professor Patten
Professor Tantillo
TA Eric

Professor Allen
Mr. Raymond

TA Mike

TA Slava

For all the help youve given

Courtesy of Sanrio

AND OF COURSE.

RA Mike & Kelsey

From: Grace &


Michelle

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