标题：Hydrogenation-induced selective degradation of PET wastes

作者: Tan, BB (Tan, Beibei); Lv, M (Lv, Ming); Qi, XT (Qi, Xiaotian); Huang, ZL (Huang, Zhiliang)

来源出版物: GREEN CHEMISTRY DOI: 10.1039/d5gc02071a Early Access Date: JUL 2025 Published Date: 2025 JUL 4

摘要: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a ubiquitous and versatile thermoplastic polymer that has a wide range of applications in daily life. However, like other synthetic plastics, the large-scale production and accumu lation of PET has resulted in a heavy environmental burden. Chemical upcycling is a promising strategy to address the environmental crises posed by PET plastic wastes, yet its practical implementation remains chal lenging. Herein, we report a novel hydrogenation-induced hydrothermal degradation strategy for upcycling of PET to valuable products. For the first time, a range of highly crystalline post-consumer PET wastes were efficiently converted into high-value 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (1,4-CHDA) and ethylene glycol (EG) in excellent yields under simple neutral water conditions. Detailed mechanistic investigations indicated that hydrogenation of aromatic rings in PET chains occurred preferentially relative to hydrolysis of the ester lin kages. The hydrogenation process not only eliminated the intermolecular π–π stacking forces, but also dis rupted the intramolecular conjugated π-systems, thus increasing the electrophilic and hydrolytic reactivity of esterlinkagesinPET.Thisworkopensanewcost-effective route for PET upcycling, which may stimulate the development of an economically viable upcycling industry for PET plastics.

作者关键词: PET PLASTIC WASTE, HYDROGENATION, HYDROTHERMAL DEGRADATION, VALUABLE CHEMICALS, NEUTRAL WATER CONDITIONS

地址: [Tan, Beibei; Huang, Zhiliang] Wuhan Univ, Sch Resource & Environm Sci, Hubei Biomass Resource Chem & Environm Biotechnol, Wuhan 430079, Peoples R China.

[Lv, Ming; Qi, Xiaotian] Wuhan Univ, Coll Chem & Mol Sci, State Key Lab Power Grid Environm Protect, Wuhan 430072, Peoples R China.

通讯作者地址: Huang, ZL (通讯作者)，Wuhan Univ, Sch Resource & Environm Sci, Hubei Biomass Resource Chem & Environm Biotechnol, Wuhan 430079, Peoples R China.

Qi, XT (通讯作者), Wuhan Univ, Coll Chem & Mol Sci, State Key Lab Power Grid Environm Protect, Wuhan 430072, Peoples R China.

电子邮件地址: zlhuang@whu.edu.cn; qi7xiaotian@whu.edu.cn

影响因子：9.2