Session: PMSE/POLY Poster Session:

In this work, aryl sulfonic acids were applied. For this purpose, 1,5- Naphthalenedisulfonic acid tetrahydrate (NDSA), 2- Naphthalenesulfonic acid (NSA), and p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTS) were selected as acid catalysts to hydrolyze polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). The impact of catalyst concentration on the de-polymerization of PET kinetics was compared. The aryl sulfonic acids exhibited greater activity than conventional acids such as sulfuric acid for PET hydrolysis. The increase activity was attributed to the better surface wetting of the PET with these acid solutions due to the presence of hydrophobic pendant (benzene ring). As hydrolysis of PET occurs at the polymer surface, increased distribution of catalysts near PET surface will result in higher localized concentrations. The NSA and PTS system exhibited the most rapid hydrolysis kinetics. More than 90% TPA yield was achieved in 4M catalyst solutions of PTS and NSA in 3 hours of reaction time.

Maria Coleman

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