Auto-Catalyzed Hydrolytic Depolymerization of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate) Waste at High Temperature

Auto-catalyzed hydrolytic depolymerization of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) waste in neutral water was carried out in an autoclave at 200°, 215°, 230°, and 245°C under autogenously pressure. The effects of particle size, agitator speed, charge ratio, and reaction time on PBT hydrolyses were studied. Reaction products were terephthalic acid (TPA) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) that were recovered, analyzed, and confirmed. Yields of TPA and BD were almost equal to PBT conversion. Analyses of PBT waste samples were also undertaken. A kinetic model for PBT hydrolysis was fitted with the experimental data. Moreover, a noncatalytic PBT hydrolysis was studied to understand the effect of auto-catalyzed action during reaction. Various kinetic parameters (i.e., hydrolysis rate constant, equilibrium constant, backward rate constant, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy) of reaction were calculated. The transfer of laboratory data is required during process commercialization through pilot plant. The dependence of the rate constant on the reaction temperature was correlated by the Arrhenius plot giving activation energy of 87 kJ/mol and the corresponding Arrhenius constant of 5.56 × 10⁹[(g ET/mol)^1.5 min^?1] for PBT hydrolysis.