Abstract:
At the global level, consumption of plastic products has increased dramatically over the past few decades. This trend results in the generation of a vast waste stream that needs to be properly managed to avoid environmental damage. Increasingly stringent European legislation is setting new standards that promote the application of new recycling technologies capable of absorbing large amounts of plastic waste. The recycling of post-consumer PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles represents one of the most successful and widespread examples of polymer recycling.
The paper presents preliminary studies about chemical recycling of PET wastes through glycolysis and the rheological characterization of the obtained glycolysis products. The chemical agent used for degradation of PET wastes was propylene glycol (PG) in the presence of zinc acetate as transesterification catalyst.
Keywords:
polyethylene terephthalate, waste, glycolysis, rheological behaviour
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