6. Polyethylene Terephthalate Recycling Process
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the major constituent of products such
as plastic fibers, video tape, audio tape, film, and food and beverage
containers. In this process, PET is hydrolyzed into its component
monomers, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, under extreme alkali conditions,
using KOH. The monomers are recovered, and the KOH is regenerated
for re-use. Thus, this process "green" because it has zero emissions.
CLICK HERE to
obtain an Adobe Acrobat file about this project.
Joseph
A. Shaeiwitz
Department of Chemical Engineering
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6102
Morgantown, WV 26506-6102
Phone: 304-293-2111 ext.2410
Fax: 304-293-4139
email: shaeiwit@cemr.wvu.edu
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