Depolymerization of PET Fibers from Textile Blends and Recovery of Terephthalic Acid

Abstract

The hydrolytic depolymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers with solid sodium hydroxide was investigated. The study presents an innovative recycling approach for the recovery of virgin‐quality terephthalic acid (TA) from textile blends consisting of PET and elastane fibers. PET fibers were depolymerized for 5 min at 140 °C. An internal mixer served as an investigation platform for the experiments. The quality of TA is quantified based on its color value. Both the hydrolytic depolymerization of polyester fibers and the quality of the recovered TA are not impaired by the presence of up to 15 % elastane fibers in textile blends.