Unsaturated polyester resins obtained from glycolysis products of waste PET

Abstract

Waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flakes were depolymerized by using ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG), diethylene glycol (DEG), and triethylene glycol (TEG) in the presence of zinc acetate as catalyst. All glycolysis products were reacted with maleic anhydride and mixed with styrene monomer to get unsaturated polyester (UP) resins. Molecular weights of all synthesized UP resins were determined by end-group analysis. The curing characteristics such as gel time and maximum curing temperatures, and mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, and elastic module of these resins were investigated. The waste PET resins were compared with the reference resins prepared with the same glycols and the properties of the resins were found to be compatible with the properties of the reference resins.