Air-Enabled Electricity-Driven Depolymerization of Polyesters

Phuc Pham; Sean Keyser; Matthew Ticknor; Keenan Wyatt; Elisa Miller; Stephen Barlow; Seth Marder; Oana Luca

doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c08711

Air-Enabled Electricity-Driven Depolymerization of Polyesters

Phuc Pham, Sean Keyser, Matthew Ticknor, Keenan Wyatt, Elisa Miller, Stephen Barlow, Seth Marder, Oana Luca

University of Colorado Boulder

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This work describes the use of electrochemically generated superoxide (with air as the source of O2) at carbon electrodes as a reagent for the depolymerization of polyesters. We report the electricity-driven selective conversion of these common ester-based wastes into their foundational carboxylate and alkoxide building blocks. The results pave the way for an electrochemical approach to the recovery of molecular materials from ester wastes that uses air and electricity as key reagents for material recycling.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	5818-5827
Number of pages	10
Journal	ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
Volume	13
Issue number	16
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c08711
State	Published - 2025

NREL Publication Number

NREL/JA-5900-87700

Keywords

chemical depolymerization
electrochemistry
poly(ethylene terephthalate)
polyesters
polymer recycling
superoxide

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10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c08711

Cite this

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title = "Air-Enabled Electricity-Driven Depolymerization of Polyesters",

abstract = "This work describes the use of electrochemically generated superoxide (with air as the source of O2) at carbon electrodes as a reagent for the depolymerization of polyesters. We report the electricity-driven selective conversion of these common ester-based wastes into their foundational carboxylate and alkoxide building blocks. The results pave the way for an electrochemical approach to the recovery of molecular materials from ester wastes that uses air and electricity as key reagents for material recycling.",

keywords = "chemical depolymerization, electrochemistry, poly(ethylene terephthalate), polyesters, polymer recycling, superoxide",

author = "Phuc Pham and Sean Keyser and Matthew Ticknor and Keenan Wyatt and Elisa Miller and Stephen Barlow and Seth Marder and Oana Luca",

year = "2025",

doi = "10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c08711",

language = "American English",

volume = "13",

pages = "5818--5827",

journal = "ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering",

issn = "2168-0485",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Air-Enabled Electricity-Driven Depolymerization of Polyesters

AU - Pham, Phuc

AU - Keyser, Sean

AU - Ticknor, Matthew

AU - Wyatt, Keenan

AU - Miller, Elisa

AU - Barlow, Stephen

AU - Marder, Seth

AU - Luca, Oana

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - This work describes the use of electrochemically generated superoxide (with air as the source of O2) at carbon electrodes as a reagent for the depolymerization of polyesters. We report the electricity-driven selective conversion of these common ester-based wastes into their foundational carboxylate and alkoxide building blocks. The results pave the way for an electrochemical approach to the recovery of molecular materials from ester wastes that uses air and electricity as key reagents for material recycling.

AB - This work describes the use of electrochemically generated superoxide (with air as the source of O2) at carbon electrodes as a reagent for the depolymerization of polyesters. We report the electricity-driven selective conversion of these common ester-based wastes into their foundational carboxylate and alkoxide building blocks. The results pave the way for an electrochemical approach to the recovery of molecular materials from ester wastes that uses air and electricity as key reagents for material recycling.

KW - chemical depolymerization

KW - electrochemistry

KW - poly(ethylene terephthalate)

KW - polyesters

KW - polymer recycling

KW - superoxide

U2 - 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c08711

DO - 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c08711

M3 - Article

SN - 2168-0485

VL - 13

SP - 5818

EP - 5827

JO - ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering

JF - ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering

IS - 16

ER -

Air-Enabled Electricity-Driven Depolymerization of Polyesters

Abstract

NREL Publication Number

Keywords

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