- PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a common polymer used to make things like plastic bottles
- It is a condensation polymer consisting of repeating ester units, so it is a type of polyester
- One of the problems with recycling polymers is that the conditions needed to break them down, which are usually high temperatures and pressures, can degrade the monomers making them unusable for re-polymerisation
- PET is relatively easy to convert back into the monomers
- It can be depolymerised either using enzymes or by chemical methods
- Enzymes present in microbes breakdown the PET into the original monomers
- The same can be achieved using solvents a catalyst and mild heating
The breakdown of PET into its two monomers takes place using enzymes or chemical catalysts and mild conditions
- The monomers are recovered and polymerised into new PET
- This saves on resources and energy, reducing the carbon footprint of the production process