Reactive mixing enables enzymatic depolymerization of recalcitrant or unsortable polyester wastes
Abstract
Enzyme-catalyzed depolymerization allows efficient recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles, which are easy to sort and made of slowly crystallizing PET. However, because crystalline phases are recalcitrant to enzymatic hydrolysis, this technology fails for rapidly crystallizing polyester wastes such as poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), unsortable mixed polyesters, or heterogeneous formulated PET waste streams. We show that melt transesterification and vitrimerization of mixtures of rapidly crystallizing polyester wastes, leveraging catalysts already present, produce copolyesters that crystallize slowly and are readily depolymerized. For example, reactive blending of a rapidly crystallizing postindustrial PET nonwoven waste with PBT improves depolymerization yields from 20% (PET nonwoven) and 1% (PBT) to 90%. Synergistic mixing can replace sorting, extending the scope of enzymatic recycling to recalcitrant, heterogeneous, and unsortable wastes.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (11)
Hernan Garate
Laboratoire Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, Paris Sciences et Lettres Université, Sorbonne Université
Clément Freymond
Laboratoire Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, Paris Sciences et Lettres Université, Sorbonne Université
Louise Breloy
Laboratoire Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, Paris Sciences et Lettres Université, Sorbonne Université
Michael Schindler
Gulliver, École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, Paris Sciences et Lettres Université
Jack Pallis
Protein Evolution Inc.
Benjamin Gibbs
Protein Evolution Inc.
Brian Mansaku
Protein Evolution Inc.
Yannick Rondelez
Gulliver Laboratory, UMR7083 CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 10 rue Vauquelin, Paris 75005, France
Costantino Creton
Laboratoire Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, Paris Sciences et Lettres Université, Sorbonne Université
Andrew D. Griffiths
Institut Chimie, Biologie, Innovation, UMR 8231, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres
Ludwik Leibler
Gulliver, École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, Paris Sciences et Lettres Université