Licensing Opportunity: Chemical Upcycling of Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Waste into Alpha-Omega-Dialkene Compounds

Most plastic is discarded after a single use, with about 76 percent of plastic waste discarded into landfills annually. The current practice is wasting feedstock resources, energy, and carbon used for their production.

This technology is a new and unique way to upcycle thermoplastic polyesters, specifically poly(ethylene terephthalate), breaking it down and converting it using chemical means into added value organic compounds that can be used as plasticizers, organic building blocks, or monomers for polymer synthesis. This upcycling process can help combat accumulation of plastic waste in the environment and help advance toward a net-zero carbon society.

Description This technology takes poly(ethylene terephthalate), or PET thermoplastic material, and chemically breaks it down into compounds that can be used as organic building blocks, polymer additives, or monomers for creation of new materials. The deconstruction process results in high conversion to single breakdown products that can be easily isolated and used directly in a closed-loop procedure.

For example, these building blocks are ideal for the synthesis of unsaturated polyesters, which possess thermomechanical properties similar to widely manufactured commodity polymers. One application for these breakdown products is new, intrinsically recyclable thermoplastics. This new approach for making chemical compounds and synthesizing new plastic can provide a sustainable method for plastic upcycling/recycling.

Benefits Converts plastic waste to new useful chemical compounds, adding value Reduces plastic waste in the environment Efficient and sustainable process Closed loop process provides path toward net zero carbon society Applications and Industries Chemical industry Plastic industry Contact To learn more about this technology, email partnerships@ornl.gov or call 865-574-1051.