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EnvalyxPrecision upcycling

05Ester hydrolysis

PET-containing materials

Bottles, trays, and polyester-rich textiles.

PET bottle and thermoformed tray with polyester textile and yarn

Access constraints

What governs whether the target is reachable in this feedstock.

  • Crystallinity
  • Thermal history
  • Surface area
  • Dyes
  • Construction

Reaction scheme

Accessible ester-bond hydrolysis.

The PET constitutional repeat unit, showing two ester linkages per terephthalate, hydrolysed at accessible ester bonds to give terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, with BHET, MHET, and oligomers from partial hydrolysis.

01PET repeat unit

nOOOOPET · two ester linkages per repeat
Controlled ester hydrolysisAccessible ester bonds only

02Identified products

OOHOOHterephthalic acid (TPA)HOOHethylene glycol (EG)partial hydrolysis also yields BHET · MHET · oligomers

Supported endpoint

Products + grade-specific mass balance

Next step

Bring this material to a defined question

Tell us which decision the evaluation needs to support.