"Making Hand Sanitizer from Troublesome PET Bottles"… Korean Research Team Develops Technology to Synthesize New Substances After Decomposition

Korea Research Foundation "Professor Kim Kyungheon’s Team at Korea University Develops Effective Process Using 'Betaine'"

Recycled PET bottle. Photo by Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Plastic is a hallmark of modern civilization, but its overuse and pollution risk turning it into a major problem for humanity. Domestic researchers have attracted attention by developing a process that goes beyond simply recycling already produced plastic to efficiently decompose it and create high value-added materials.

The National Research Foundation of Korea announced on the 29th that a joint research team including Professor Kim Kyung-heon of Korea University and Dr. Kim Hee-taek of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology developed a process to efficiently decompose PET waste using an eco-friendly and biocompatible catalyst. In particular, through a bioconversion process, components obtained by decomposing PET can be used as raw materials for cosmetics or hand sanitizers, such as glycolic acid, protocatechuic acid, or other polymer materials like nylon.

Photo by Korea Research Foundation

The research team developed a decomposition process that minimizes components interfering with enzyme and microbial fermentation so that the enzymatic decomposition process can be carried out under optimal conditions. They discovered that a substance called betaine can act as a catalyst that helps efficiently decompose PET. Betaine is widely found in organisms such as animals, plants, and microorganisms and is produced in response to environmental stresses such as osmotic pressure, high temperature, and dehydration. As an amphoteric ion containing both cations and anions, it was hypothesized to react similarly to ionic liquids, known catalysts effective in PET decomposition, and this assumption proved correct.

Using betaine, more than 80% of the input PET was decomposed into oligo forms, and since it was only necessary to separate the final reaction product after the fermentation process without separating the products of each reaction step, the process could be simplified. No metal ions or organic compounds that interfere with enzymatic reactions and microbial fermentation were used, making the final material separation easier.

Plastic is widely used in industries such as clothing, food, medical, and automotive because it is hard yet flexible, waterproof, and lightweight. However, it is not easily decomposed, causing serious environmental pollution issues such as microplastics. As of 2015, about 630 million tons of plastic were produced, but 60% of it was landfilled, and only 9% was recycled.

Methods for recycling PET include collecting, sorting, and washing for reuse; incinerating PET to utilize the generated heat; and decomposing PET through physical or chemical methods to reproduce PET. Most research focuses on the latter, but reproduced PET products have the drawback of lower quality.

The results of this study were published on the 23rd in the international journal on catalysis published by the American Chemical Society, 'ACS Catalysis.'

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