Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41744022›Full record

ArticleOrganic process research & development2026

Efficient Chemical Recycling of Polyester in Plastic Waste: A Heated High-Ethanol Alkaline Aqueous Process.

Kalliopi Elli Pavlopoulou, Vincenzo Ianniello, Kateřina Hrůzová, Theo A Tervoort, Heiko Lange, Ulrika Rova, Paul Christakopoulos, Leonidas Matsakas

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Organic process research & development, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Kalliopi Elli PavlopoulouBiochemical Process Engineering, Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0284-4643
Vincenzo IannielloDepartment of Materials, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Kateřina HrůzováBiochemical Process Engineering, Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.
Theo A TervoortDepartment of Materials, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4962-9841
Heiko LangeBiochemical Process Engineering, Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3845-7017
Ulrika RovaBiochemical Process Engineering, Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7500-2367
Paul ChristakopoulosBiochemical Process Engineering, Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0079-5950
Leonidas MatsakasBiochemical Process Engineering, Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3687-6173

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Plastic waste, especially from packaging, poses major recycling challenges due to the presence of mixed polymers, which often result in inconsistent blends that are unsuitable for reuse in food-grade applications. Chemical recycling, particularly alkaline hydrolysis, offers a promising solution in the case of chemically reactive polymers, such as polyesters, with poly-(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) being one of the dominant plastics suitable for both mechanical and chemical recycling. Mechanical recycling is currently used for the largest part of PET recycling, due to the fact that turning the polymer back into its monomeric building blocks requires catalysts, elevated temperatures, or prolonged reaction times. This study presents a recently developed Heated High-Ethanol Alkaline Aqueous (HHeAA) process that enables efficient, catalyst-free PET hydrolysis under milder conditions. Nearly complete hydrolysis was achieved within just 20 min at 90 °C using a loading of 0.624 g of NaOH/g of PET. The process was successfully scaled up with commercial PET bottles, achieving full hydrolysis while significantly reducing the liquid-to-solid ratio from 20 to just 5 L/kg. These results highlight the industrial potential of the HHeAA method as a more sustainable and energy-efficient alternative for PET recycling and chemical reuse and in turn reduced environmental impact.

Indexed as

heated high-ethanol alkaline processhydrolysisPET bottlesplastic recyclingpolyester

Identifiers

PMID41744022
PMCPMC12930499

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Registered trials

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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.