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Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): An Overview on Production, Consumption, and Recycling
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This review covers the production, properties, and recycling pathways of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the world's most widely used thermoplastic polymer, highlighting its versatility in food packaging and fibers and the importance of efficient recycling to manage growing PET waste streams.
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is a dimensionally stable thermoplastic with excellent machining characteristics that is transparent, lightweight, high tensile strength, semi-crystalline, virtually shatterproof, gas barrier, and solvent resistant. It is generally considered as inert and safe plastic, and highly recyclable. It is produced by the polymerization of ethylene glycol (EG) and terephthalic acid (TPA) or dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) during a polycondensation reaction. At present it is the most generally used thermoplastic polymer in the world. It is widely used as a packaging material in the food and beverage industries. It is also used to make fibers, pharmaceuticals, and make-up. With its lightweight, durable, and versatile properties, it has become an essential substance in the modern society. This paper tries to review the management of PET plastic waste with efficient recycling.
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This review surveys all major PET recycling strategies — mechanical, chemical, and energy-recovery — outlining their environmental trade-offs and the potential to convert waste PET into value-added materials, while calling for optimized processes to reduce the ongoing contamination caused by landfilling and incineration.
Using of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Panels in Product Design: A Safe Disposal for Plastic Waste
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Researchers examined how recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) panels can be repurposed in product design applications, positioning the reuse of plastic waste as both a practical material solution and a pathway toward safer disposal of post-consumer plastic.
A focused review on recycling and hydrolysis techniques of polyethylene terephthalate
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This review examines techniques for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most common plastics found as microplastic pollution. Chemical recycling through hydrolysis shows the most promise for breaking PET back into its original building blocks for reuse. Improving PET recycling is important because reducing plastic waste at the source is one of the most effective ways to decrease microplastic contamination in the environment.
Chemical Recycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate: A Review
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This review surveys advances in chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)—including glycolysis, hydrolysis, enzymatic depolymerization, and tandem catalysis—as strategies to recover monomers and close the plastic carbon loop. Since PET is a major source of microplastic pollution through bottle and textile degradation, effective chemical recycling pathways are critical for reducing its long-term environmental persistence.
Introduction
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This review paper looks at smarter ways to recycle the plastic used in bottles and packaging (called PET), which makes up 8% of all plastic produced worldwide. Instead of burning it or dumping it in landfills, both of which pollute soil and release greenhouse gases, scientists are exploring chemical methods that break plastic down and rebuild it into useful materials without losing quality. Better recycling technology like this could mean less plastic waste piling up and breaking down into microplastics that end up in our water, food, and bodies.
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