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Updated: Jun 8, 2025

Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers
Published on: December 16, 2022
Simple enzymatic depolymerization process based on rapid ball milling pretreatment for high-crystalline polyethylene
Yu Zhou1, Jinxu Zhang1, Yunxin Zheng1
1Chemical Engineering Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China.
Abstract:
The high crystallinity (30 %-50 %) of discarded polyester textile waste limits the industrialization of its clean enzymatic depolymerization. In this study, a simple process based on ball milling pretreatment was developed to achieve effective enzymatic hydrolysis of high-crystalline polyester fiber. Ball milling was selected for its short, mild, and chemical-free process, which achieved a remarkable 23.8-fold (60.9 %) increase in terephthalic acid (TPA) yield from waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) degradation, along with high TPA purity in the released soluble compounds. Just 30 min of ball milling at room temperature induced polyester amorphization, resulting in polyester with 12 % lower crystallinity compared with untreated polyester (51 %), while simultaneously increasing the surface roughness of polyester, thereby enhancing the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. The simple process for effective enzymatic-depolymerization of waste polyester fiber developed in this study has potential industrial applications.
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