RT Journal Article
T1 Developing a highly efficient and magnetically recoverable nanocatalyst for glycolytic depolymerization of various polyesters
A1 Martín Gandul, María Del Carmen
A1 Perfecto Irigaray, Maite
A1 Beobide, Garikoitz
A1 Solana Madruga, Elena
A1 Ávila Brande, David
A1 Laso Quesada, Marcos
A1 de Pedro, Imanol
A1 Casado Carmona, Francisco A.
A1 Lucena, Rafael
A1 Cardenas, Soledad
A1 Cano, Israel
A1 Cano Rico, Israel
AB The synthesis of a new recyclable magnetic catalyst consisting of silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2) with a zinc-containing ionic liquid anchored to the surface is described. An in-depth characterization was performed using different techniques, which demonstrated that Fe3O4@SiO2@(mim)[ZnCl(OH)2] (mim: methylimidazolium) depicts the actual structure of the nanocatalyst. This system exhibits an outstanding performance as a magnetically recoverable catalyst for the glycolysis of different polyesters in ethylene glycol, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(1,4-butylene terephthalate) (PBT), and bisphenol A polycarbonate (BPA-PC). The depolymerization of PET and PBT into bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET) was carried out with nearly 100% selectivity and yield over 12 reaction cycles at 170 °C without tedious workup or purification processes. Similar behavior was observed in the glycolysis of BPA-PC into bisphenol A (BPA), which was obtained with more than 80% yield during 12 consecutive runs. Indeed, the nanocatalyst remained active with only a small loss of activity in the 20th cycle of recovery and reuse, demonstrating the high potential of this catalytic system for the chemical recycling of plastics. Besides, the unique catalytic and magnetic properties of this hybrid material have allowed us to develop gram-scale experiments. Finally, an in-depth characterization of the recovered catalyst showed that its overall structure was preserved after the glycolysis process. Only a loss of Cl– ions of the Zn-based ionic liquid, caused by a ligand exchange process with ethylene glycol species and OH– ions, was observed.
PB ACS Publications
YR 2025
FD 2025-05-23
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/120870
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/120870
LA eng
NO Martín, C.; Perfecto-Irigaray, M.; Beobide, G.; Solana-Madruga, E.; Ávila-Brande, D.; Laso-Quesada, M.; De Pedro, I.; Casado-Carmona, F. A.; Lucena, R.; Cardenas, S.; Cano, I. Developing a Highly Efficient and Magnetically Recoverable Nanocatalyst for Glycolytic Depolymerization of Various Polyesters. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2025, 13 (21), 7890–7903. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c01220.
NO This work was in part funded by Eusko Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco (IT1722-22) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2022-138968NB-C22 project funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/and by FEDER A way to make Europe and TED2021-129810B-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and Next Generation EU/PRTR). Financial support from the Basque Government Education Department, Postdoctoral Researcher Program (POS-E_2023_1_0001), is gratefully acknowledged.
NO Gobierno Vasco (España)
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (UE)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 21 ene 2026