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A reactive melt modification of polyethylene terephthalate

A reactive melt modification of polyethylene terephthalate

A reactive melt modification of polyethylene terephthalate

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2<br />

Figure 1.1 Macromolecular formula <strong>of</strong> <strong>polyethylene</strong> <strong>terephthalate</strong> (PET).<br />

Various combinations <strong>of</strong> reactant(s) and process conditions are potentially<br />

available to synthesize polyesters (Goodman, 1988). Commercial scale production <strong>of</strong><br />

PET most commonly involves two steps. PET is generally prepared by bulk or solution<br />

polymerization initially at around 150-210°C by transesterification (alcoholysis) from<br />

dimethyl <strong>terephthalate</strong> (DMT) and ethylene glycol (EG) or direct esterification from<br />

terephthalic acid (TPA) and EG, in the presence <strong>of</strong> catalysts, resulting in oligomers. In a<br />

second step, oligomers undergo <strong>melt</strong> polycondensation to produce high molecular weight<br />

PET resin.<br />

In the case <strong>of</strong> reaction between DMT and EG, the methyl end groups <strong>of</strong> DMT are<br />

continuously replaced by ethyl end-groups <strong>of</strong> EG to produce bis (2-hydroxyethyl)<br />

<strong>terephthalate</strong> as shown in reaction (1) in Figure 1.2, along with small amounts <strong>of</strong><br />

oligomers (Odian, 1991). In this process, EG is consumed while methanol is evaporated<br />

and re-collected to be returned to the DMT plant. The reactants are heated at<br />

temperatures increasingly from 150 to 210 °C. Commonly used catalysts for ester<br />

transformation are oxides, carbonates, or acetates <strong>of</strong> calcium; manganese; cobalt;<br />

cadmium; lead or zinc (Sorenson et al., 2001). Typically, the amount <strong>of</strong> catalyst used is in<br />

the range <strong>of</strong> 0.05 to 0.1% by weight <strong>of</strong> the dimethyl <strong>terephthalate</strong> (Cimecioglu, 1986).<br />

In the second-stage, the temperature is raised to 270-280 °C and polymerization<br />

proceeds with the removal <strong>of</strong> ethylene glycol being facilitated by using a partial vacuum

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