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Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is the most common thermoplastic polymer


resin for the polyester family and is used in fibers for clothing, containers for
liquids and foods, thermoforming for manufacturing, and in combination with
glass fiber for engineering resins. PET is more practical than many other plastic
applications because of the high value of the resin and the almost exclusive use of
PET for widely used water and carbonated soft drink bottle.

Properties of Polyethylene-terephthalate (PET)

Fully recyclable and biodegradable


- PET consists of polymerized units of the monomer ethylene terephthalate, with
repeating (C10H8O4) units. It is commonly recycled and has number 1 as its
recycling symbol. Recycling processes with polyester are varied as the
manufacturing processes based on primary pellets or melts. It can be in most of
the polyester manufacturing processes as blend with virgin polymer or
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increasingly as 100% recycled polymer.


PET is subjected to various types of degradations such as biodegradations. At least
one species of bacterium in the genus Nocardia can degrade PET with an esterase

enzyme.
The impact strength of Recycled PET is lower
- This is due to the process of polymerization that produces impurities such as
acetaldehyde. The number of possible impurities and material defects that
accumulate in the polymeric material is increasing permanently during processing,
manufacturing, as well as when using polymers. Thus, PET has low impact

strength, taking into considerations chemical defects and impurities.


Opaque or transparent, depending on the exact material composition
- PET exist both as amorphous and semi-crystalline polymer. Clear products can be
produced by rapidly cooling molten polymer below glass transition (Tg) to form
an amorphous solid. When allow to cool slowly, the molten polymer forms a more
crystalline material. This material has spherulites containing many small
crystallites when crystallized from an amorphous solid, rather than forming one
large single crystal. Light tends to scatter as it crosses the boundaries between
crystallites and the amorphous regions between them. This scattering means that

crystalline PET is opaque and white in most cases.


Impermeable by Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- The diffusion of CO2 through the wall of PET bottle that contains soft or alcoholic
drinks. The reason of putting gaseous CO 2 in drinks is taste. The gas gives

sparkling feeling and a reduction in tasted sweetness. The diffusion of CO 2


through the wall of PET is a problem because of loss of these features in time or a
loss of quality in time. Thus, PET is the best barrier against various gaseous.

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