Example 1
Polyethylene terephthalate (1000 g) was introduced in a reactor. Dichloromethane (500 g) was added and the mixture was stirred at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure for about 40 mins. Sodium methoxide and methanol were then added to the reaction mixture was stirred and heated for 120 mins (see table below for amounts, time, and temperature details).
The reaction mixture was then filtered and the filter cake was washed with methanol. The filter cake was then melted and filtered at 140° C. to remove any unreacted materials. The filtered dimethyl terephthalate was then distilled under vacuum at 200° C. The liquid recovered from the filtration was distilled to recover the solvents and the mono ethylene glycol.
