[3PS-170]
Enhancing Glycolysis Efficiency and Suppressing Side Reactions via Morphological Transformation of Waste PET
발표자박창준 (국립금오공과대학교)
연구책임자정현민 (국립금오공과대학교)
Abstract
Pretreating waste PET using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) led to controlled morphological changes and enhanced surface area. These changes dramatically accelerated the glycolysis reaction with ethylene glycol (EG), achieving 100% PET conversion at 180 °C. Compared to untreated flakes, the pretreated PET powders reacted up to five times faster under identical conditions. Additionally, the formation of DCTC, a typical side product from EG dehydration, was completely avoided. The BHET monomer obtained was highly pure, as confirmed by ¹H-NMR, FT-IR, and DSC analyses. Two pretreatment methods—single-solvent and co-solvent recrystallization—were systematically compared for performance. PET-DE powders with porous morphology showed the fastest conversion and highest BHET yield (83.9%). This morphology-engineered strategy provides a scalable, energy-efficient, and selective approach to PET chemical recycling.