Improving the Sustainability of Catalytic Glycolysis of Complex PET Waste through Bio-Solvolysis.

This work addresses a novel bio-solvolysis process for the treatment of complex poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste using a biobased monoethylene glycol (BioMEG) as a depolymerization agent in order to achieve a more sustainable chemical recycling process. Five difficult-to-recycle PET waste streams, including multilayer trays, coloured bottles and postconsumer textiles, were selected for the study. After characterization and conditioning of the samples, an evaluation of the proposed bio-solvolysis process was carried out by monitoring the reaction over time to determine the degree of PET conversion (91.

A Preliminary Study on the Use of Highly Aromatic Pyrolysis Oils Coming from Plastic Waste as Alternative Liquid Fuels.

In this work, the low-temperature pyrolysis of a real plastic mixture sample collected at a WEEE-authorised recycling facility has been investigated. The sample was pyrolysed in a batch reactor in different temperature and residence time conditions and auto-generated pressure by following a factorial design, with the objective of maximising the liquid (oil) fraction. Furthermore, the main polymers constituting the real sample were also pyrolysed in order to understand their role in the generation of oil.

Oil Production by Pyrolysis of Real Plastic Waste.

The aim of this paper is for the production of oils processed in refineries to come from the pyrolysis of real waste from the high plastic content rejected by the recycling industry of the Basque Country (Spain). Concretely, the rejected waste streams were collected from (1) a light packaging waste sorting plant, (2) the paper recycling industry, and (3) a waste treatment plant of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The influence of pre-treatments (mechanical separation operations) and temperature on the yield and quality of the liquid fraction were evaluated.