Description
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the plastic commonly used in bottles, is the most collected plastic but often ends up as low-value products like carpet fiber due to degradation during recycling.
With support from the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF), this project developed food-safe additives—called chain extenders—that restore and improve the quality of recycled PET (r-PET) and other polyesters like PLA.
Key Outcomes:
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Developed non-toxic chain extenders that boost r-PET performance.
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Created carbon fiber-reinforced r-PET composites with strength comparable to polypropylene, making them suitable for automotive use.
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Techno-economic and life cycle analyses show these solutions are both cost-effective and environmentally sound.
If adopted at scale, these innovations could divert over 15.4 billion pounds of r-PET from landfills annually—advancing circularity and EREF’s mission.
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