Kinetics of polyester fiber alkaline hydrolysis: Effect of temperature and cationic surfactants

The surface kinetic model was applied to the interpretation of the dissolution of poly (ethylene terephthalate) fibers in alkaline medium. The model assumes first-order kinetics with respect to surface area and concentration of OH^?ions. The dependency of the rate constant of dissolution on temperature was treated by the Arrhenius equation. The addition of a cationic surfactant resulted in an increase in both activation energy and preexponential factor. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.