ArticleNature communications2025
A general esterolysis strategy for upcycling waste polyesters into high-value esters.
Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Study on the coupling reaction of mixed dibasic acid dimethyl esters with propylene carbonate catalyzed by diacidic ionic liquids.RSC advances · 2026Article
- A Solvent-Free Approach for the Mechanochemical Upcycling of Bio- and Fossil-Based Polyesters Into Value-Added Chemicals and Bio-Based Plasticizers.ChemSusChem · 2026Article
- Chemical Recycling of Waste Wind-Turbine Blades Through Polymer Deconstruction and Upcycling.ChemSusChem · 2026Review
- Recoverable macroporous polyanion bead catalysts for scalable continuous chemical depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Dynamic Covalent Chemistry: A Boon for Closed-Loop Recycling of Polymer Networks.Precision chemistry · 2026Review
- Carbonylolysis of waste polyesters into high-value organic acids.Nature communications · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The upcycling of waste polyesters into high-value chemicals offers a sustainable and economically viable solution to the global plastic waste crisis. Herein, we report a general esterolysis strategy for the efficient depolymerization of polyesters to produce high-value ester products, utilizing a broad range of esters, including carboxylates, carbonates, and C/Si/Ti/P-based esters. Using the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate as a highly effective catalyst, polyethylene terephthalate is selectively converted into dimethyl terephthalate and ethylene carbonate with remarkable yields of 99% and 90%, respectively. Mechanistic studies reveal that methanol, generated in situ via the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate-catalyzed hydrolysis of dimethyl carbonate, drives the cleavage of C-O ester bonds in polyethylene terephthalate. This strategy demonstrates broad applicability, achieving high conversion efficiencies across various mixed and colored commercial waste polyesters. The energy efficiency and versatility of this approach establish a transformative route to diverse high-value esters, advancing the development of circular plastic economies and sustainable chemistry.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.