Evaluating Contaminant Effects and Blend Ratios on the Alkaline Hydrolysis of PET Textile Streams
The increasing amounts of discarded textiles represent a potentially valuable resource that could be reclaimed. This work underscores the significance of advancing chemical recycling techniques for multi-component fabrics under mild reaction conditions. We present a method for nondestructive recovery of cotton (C), elastane, and nylon from polyester (polyethylene terephthalate (P)) textile blends through alkaline hydrolysis, supported with a phase-transfer catalyst. Consistent reaction conditions were maintained while evaluating various pre-consumer blends to assess their impact on the depolymerization of P component into terephthalic acid (TPA). The average TPA yield (by mass) exceeded 93.9 ± 2.79 % for pre-consumer materials and 89.5 ± 3.14 % for post-consumer materials. This work also explored the reuse potential of cotton recovered from the P:C textiles and examined any alterations in tensile strength post-hydrolysis. The average C recovery (by mass) exceeded 95.9 ± 0.784 %. Extensive material characterization for all components of the system was conducted. This research paves the way for a deeper understanding of the potential contamination by small molecules, and the quality of unreacted fibers within this mild alkaline chemical process.
Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | public |
| accrualPeriodicity | irregular |
| bureauCode |
[
"006:55"
]
|
| contactPoint |
{
"fn": "Charlotte Wentz",
"hasEmail": "mailto:charlotte.wentz@nist.gov"
}
|
| description | The increasing amounts of discarded textiles represent a potentially valuable resource that could be reclaimed. This work underscores the significance of advancing chemical recycling techniques for multi-component fabrics under mild reaction conditions. We present a method for nondestructive recovery of cotton (C), elastane, and nylon from polyester (polyethylene terephthalate (P)) textile blends through alkaline hydrolysis, supported with a phase-transfer catalyst. Consistent reaction conditions were maintained while evaluating various pre-consumer blends to assess their impact on the depolymerization of P component into terephthalic acid (TPA). The average TPA yield (by mass) exceeded 93.9 ± 2.79 % for pre-consumer materials and 89.5 ± 3.14 % for post-consumer materials. This work also explored the reuse potential of cotton recovered from the P:C textiles and examined any alterations in tensile strength post-hydrolysis. The average C recovery (by mass) exceeded 95.9 ± 0.784 %. Extensive material characterization for all components of the system was conducted. This research paves the way for a deeper understanding of the potential contamination by small molecules, and the quality of unreacted fibers within this mild alkaline chemical process. |
| distribution |
[
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"title": "ReadMe File",
"format": "ReadMe File associated with dataset",
"mediaType": "text/plain",
"description": "ReadMe File associated with dataset",
"downloadURL": "https://data.nist.gov/od/ds/mds2-3727/README.txt"
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{
"title": "Supporting Information Figures",
"format": "This .zip file contains the .txt files to data for supporting information figures for the manuscript.",
"mediaType": "application/x-zip-compressed",
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|
| identifier | ark:/88434/mds2-3727 |
| issued | 2025-03-04 |
| keyword |
[
"Chemical recycling",
"blended textiles",
"contaminants",
"cotton",
"depolymerization",
"elastomeric fibers",
"garments",
"polyethylene terephthalate",
"textiles"
]
|
| landingPage | https://data.nist.gov/od/id/mds2-3727 |
| language |
[
"en"
]
|
| license | https://www.nist.gov/open/license |
| modified | 2025-02-13 00:00:00 |
| programCode |
[
"006:045"
]
|
| publisher |
{
"name": "National Institute of Standards and Technology",
"@type": "org:Organization"
}
|
| theme |
[
"Chemistry",
"Chemistry:Chemical engineering and processing",
"Materials:Materials characterization",
"Materials:Polymers"
]
|
| title | Evaluating Contaminant Effects and Blend Ratios on the Alkaline Hydrolysis of PET Textile Streams |
