Solid State Alkaline Depolymerization of Polyester Elastane Textiles in a Laboratory Kneader.
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| Title: | Solid State Alkaline Depolymerization of Polyester Elastane Textiles in a Laboratory Kneader. |
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| Authors: | Both, Leonard1,2 (AUTHOR), Zerfuss, Isabel2 (AUTHOR), Paschetag, Mandy1,2 (AUTHOR) m.paschetag@tu-braunschweig.de, Scholl, Stephan2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Polymers (20734360). Feb2026, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p537. 17p. |
| Subjects: | Depolymerization, Textile recycling, Thermolysis, Polyesters, Mixing machinery, Scission (Chemistry), Solid state chemistry |
| Abstract: | Elastane is ubiquitous in polyester-based textiles and complicates depolymerization-based recycling because it can undergo thermal degradation and chemical bond cleavage, consuming reagents and forming low-molecular by-products that may compromise monomer quality. Here, we investigate alkaline PET depolymerization of PET/elastane blends under an intentional base-competition scenario in a laboratory kneader. Pure PET (100/0) and PET/EL blends (95/5 and 85/15, wt/wt) were processed under quasi-solid-state conditions at 140 °C for 5 min using solid NaOH dosed at 2.1 mol per mol PET repeat unit and pelletized feedstocks to ensure scale-relevant mixing and reproducible chamber filling. Torque and bulk-temperature profiles were similar across compositions, and isolated terephthalic acid yields remained in a narrow corridor (68–71%), indicating that PET depolymerization is not measurably impaired by 5–15 wt% elastane within this reaction window. Differential scanning calorimetry of water-insoluble residues revealed pronounced changes in elastane-related thermal transitions, evidencing elastane modification during treatment. Targeted 1H NMR screening of recovered TA against a 4,4′-methylenedianiline spiked reference showed no detectable co-isolated aromatic diamines. Overall, the study demonstrates robust monomer recovery from mixed PET/EL textiles under solid-NaOH, short-residence, solvent-lean processing, while identifying residue analytics as the key bottleneck for quantifying elastane fate and closing component balances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 192034369 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Solid State Alkaline Depolymerization of Polyester Elastane Textiles in a Laboratory Kneader. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Both%2C+Leonard%22">Both, Leonard</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zerfuss%2C+Isabel%22">Zerfuss, Isabel</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Paschetag%2C+Mandy%22">Paschetag, Mandy</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> m.paschetag@tu-braunschweig.de</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Scholl%2C+Stephan%22">Scholl, Stephan</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Polymers+%2820734360%29%22">Polymers (20734360)</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p537. 17p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Depolymerization%22">Depolymerization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Textile+recycling%22">Textile recycling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thermolysis%22">Thermolysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Polyesters%22">Polyesters</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mixing+machinery%22">Mixing machinery</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scission+%28Chemistry%29%22">Scission (Chemistry)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Solid+state+chemistry%22">Solid state chemistry</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Elastane is ubiquitous in polyester-based textiles and complicates depolymerization-based recycling because it can undergo thermal degradation and chemical bond cleavage, consuming reagents and forming low-molecular by-products that may compromise monomer quality. Here, we investigate alkaline PET depolymerization of PET/elastane blends under an intentional base-competition scenario in a laboratory kneader. Pure PET (100/0) and PET/EL blends (95/5 and 85/15, wt/wt) were processed under quasi-solid-state conditions at 140 °C for 5 min using solid NaOH dosed at 2.1 mol per mol PET repeat unit and pelletized feedstocks to ensure scale-relevant mixing and reproducible chamber filling. Torque and bulk-temperature profiles were similar across compositions, and isolated terephthalic acid yields remained in a narrow corridor (68–71%), indicating that PET depolymerization is not measurably impaired by 5–15 wt% elastane within this reaction window. Differential scanning calorimetry of water-insoluble residues revealed pronounced changes in elastane-related thermal transitions, evidencing elastane modification during treatment. Targeted 1H NMR screening of recovered TA against a 4,4′-methylenedianiline spiked reference showed no detectable co-isolated aromatic diamines. Overall, the study demonstrates robust monomer recovery from mixed PET/EL textiles under solid-NaOH, short-residence, solvent-lean processing, while identifying residue analytics as the key bottleneck for quantifying elastane fate and closing component balances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.3390/polym18040537 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 537 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Depolymerization Type: general – SubjectFull: Textile recycling Type: general – SubjectFull: Thermolysis Type: general – SubjectFull: Polyesters Type: general – SubjectFull: Mixing machinery Type: general – SubjectFull: Scission (Chemistry) Type: general – SubjectFull: Solid state chemistry Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Solid State Alkaline Depolymerization of Polyester Elastane Textiles in a Laboratory Kneader. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Both, Leonard – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Zerfuss, Isabel – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Paschetag, Mandy – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Scholl, Stephan IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 15 M: 02 Text: Feb2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 20734360 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 18 – Type: issue Value: 4 Titles: – TitleFull: Polymers (20734360) Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
