https://www.cas.cn/syky/202601/t20260113_5095909.shtml

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.5c02483

Researchers at the CAS Shanxi Coal Chemistry Institute have proposed a new strategy for homogeneous degradation of PET under mild conditions. With ethylene glycol as a solvent at 170 C for 10 min, the team prepared polyester diol oligomers with controllable molecular weight and narrow distribution from waste PET, achieving a yield of 94.2%. Based on the difference in solubility of polyester diol oligomers with different molecular weights in γ-valerolactone, the team proposed a novel and simple polyester diol fractionation method to reduce its polydispersity. Using the γ-valerol system to treat different PET products and blended fabrics, the team demonstrated the system’s universality and selectivity.