Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene) (PE) are among the most common plastics produced today. Together, they are often used in multilayer film for food wrappers and other gas/water vapor barrier products and constituent one of the largest offenders insofar as oceanic waste is concerned. Unfortunately, multicomponent systems such as these are challenging to recycle due to the difficulty in separating the layer components and the immiscibility that exists between the components during the recycling process. Towards this end, we have prepared several compatibilizers that could be utilized in improving the recyclability of mixed plastic waste streams such as PET-PE. Synthetic details and characterization of the compatibilizers will be discussed as well as data supporting the notion that these materials can help to improve the miscibility of PET and PE during reprocessing.

Improving the recyclability of PET-PE mixed waste streams

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.