Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41678315›Full record

ArticleChemSusChem2026

Mechanochemical Depolymerization of PET: Kinetic Studies on Alkaline Hydrolysis of Commercial Feedstocks.

Kinga Gołąbek, Lauren R Mellinger, Shanell T Bush, Erin V Phillips, Georgios A Marinis, Van Son Nguyen, Jouke van Westrenen, Carsten Sievers

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in ChemSusChem, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Kinga GołąbekSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Lauren R MellingerSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Shanell T BushSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Erin V PhillipsSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Georgios A MarinisSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Van Son NguyenSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Jouke van WestrenenSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Carsten SieversSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5713-1875

Funding

U.S. National Science Foundation Grant 2028998
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The mechanochemical depolymerization of commercial PET feedstocks is successfully demonstrated for a variety of samples representing consumer products without the need for specific sample pretreatment. Complete depolymerization is achieved within 20 min by ball milling it with NaOH under ambient conditions. Samples with a higher initial content of amorphous domains depolymerize more rapidly, as collision energy is more effectively utilized for creating reactive interfaces between NaOH and PET. While thickness has a minor effect compared to crystallinity, thicker samples experience lower reaction rates because their accessible surface area is limited. For low-packing density samples, a reduced rate of depolymerization could be expected due to restricted ball motion, but this effect is overcompensated by the ease at which these samples form interfaces. The success of mechanochemical alkali-depolymerization of PET in a ball mill presents an opportunity for industrial implementation, offering a sustainable approach to polymer upcycling due to its mild reaction conditions and minimal solvent requirements.

Indexed as

ball millingcrystallinityfeedstock morphologypolymersreactive interfaces

Identifiers

PMID41678315
PMCPMC12900266

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.