From PET to PET: Chemical recycling through depolymerization скачать в хорошем качестве

From PET to PET: Chemical recycling through depolymerization

We are in the teaching laboratory of the course Green Chemistry and Innovative Chemical Processes, part of the Master’s programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technologies for the Circular Economy. In this video, students put theory into practice by performing PET (polyethylene terephthalate) depolymerization as an example of chemical recycling. 🔬 Most PET recycling relies on mechanical recycling (remelting and reshaping). When high-purity products are required, depolymerization becomes a valuable alternative: it breaks polymer chains back into their original building blocks. 🧪 Lab steps: PET bottle cut into small pieces reflux in a basic solution (water, ethanol, sodium hydroxide) filtration of unreacted plastic acidification to precipitate terephthalic acid recovery, purification, and analysis 📌 Want more sustainable chemistry experiments from our teaching labs? Let us know in the comments!