The work is conducted under JST CREST within the Precise Material Science for Degradation and Stability Research Area, specifically in the Theme Development of Bio-Based Advanced Polymers and their Depolymerization, Chemical Recycle.

Findings are published in ACS Sustainable Resource Management (Nov. 12, 2025) in the article titled “Quantitative Chemical Conversion of PET Waste Bottles, Textile Wastes by Exclusive Transesterification with Alcohols by FeCl3–Amine Catalyst Systems,” DOI 10.1021/acssusresmgt.5c00447.

The method yields the corresponding DMT, DET, BHET, and related terephthalic acid diesters, offering a chemical recycling route that returns PET constituents to chemical raw materials rather than downcycling to fuels.

The catalyst system uses inexpensive iron(III) chloride (FeCl3) with a small amount of amine, working effectively between 120°C and 180°C and scalable without loss of selectivity.

The press release underscores the potential impact on a circular economy by offering a simple, environmentally friendly chemical recycling method that avoids harsh high-temperature or acid/base conditions.

The process selectively depolymerizes PET even in mixtures containing cotton and other plastics, enabling exclusive chemical recycling of PET from mixed plastic wastes.

A Tokyo Metropolitan University group led by Professor Kotohiro Nomura developed an acid- and base-free, iron-catalyzed method for exclusive depolymerization of PET bottles and textile wastes using alcohols to yield terephthalic acid esters, with yields of 99.7%–99.9%.