Carbon Dioxide → Terephthalic Acid

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

In a heated autoclave, provided with a mixer and filled partially with water, cut poly/ethyleneterephtalate/ wastes in a form of scraps of foil and pieces of industrial shapes were placed in the amount of 1000 g together with a solution of 875 g of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) in 10 liters of water, and then a content of the reactor was heated up to 200° C. and the temperature was kept till the digestion of poly/ethylene terephtalate/ was completed and the formation of carbon dioxide was stopped. Then the autoclave was relieved and carbon dioxide and water excess were separated, then a resulted solution was filtered hot through a filter with active carbon. The filtrate was neutralised with hydrochloric acid and a precipitate of terephtalic acid was separated from a reaction solution using a centrifuge. The resulted product was washed with a distilled water and crystallised from water, giving 864 g of terephtalic acid. At the same time ethylene glycol was separated from the neutralised filtrate using extraction with diethylcarbonate, obtaining 322,6 g of ethylene glycol.

Provenance & Evidence