Comparison between pyrolysis and chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate bottles

Količina odpadkov narašča na globalni ravni in eden od načinov reševanja te okoljske problematike je recikliranje. Polimer polietilen tereftalat (PET) ima možnosti ponovne uporabe, iz njega lahko pridobimo kakovostne sekundarne produkte. Z mehanskim, kemijskim ali termičnim recikliranjem vrnemo PET v gospodarstvo in mu tako podaljšamo življenjski cikel. S postopkom nevtralne hidrolize ga lahko kemijsko recikliramo, tako da pridobimo primarne snovi polimera PET, to sta tereftalna kislina in etilenglikol. Rešitev recikliranja PET je tudi termični postopek piroliza, ki je obetavna alternativa in ki pretvori polimer v ogljikovodike. S spreminjanjem pogojev pri postopkih recikliranja lahko vplivamo na vrsto in količino recikliranega produkta. Plastenke PET je možno reciklirati z manjšimi vplivi na okolje, vendar je z ekonomskega stališča dražje.The amount of waste is growing globally and one of the ways to solve this environmental problem is recycling. Polymer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has the potential to be reused in order to obtain quality secondary raw material. By mechanical, chemical or thermal recycling, we return PET to the economy and thus extend its life cycle. By the process of neutral hydrolysis, it can be chemically recycled to obtain the primary substances of the PET polymer such as terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. A solution for PET recycling is also the thermal pyrolysis process, which converts the polymer into hydrocarbons and is one of the promising alternatives. By changing the conditions in recycling processes, we can influence the type and amount of recycled product. PET bottles can be recycled with less impact on the environment, but are more expensive from an economic point of view