Proton Sponge: An Aromatic Glycolysis Catalyst

Chemical depolymerisation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a widely explored method to recycle plastic waste, with particular benefits on waste streams unsuitable for mechanical recycling. Glycolysis, the employment of ethylene glycol (EG) and a catalyst to effect depolymerisation, is a promising technology. Herein, we report the use of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene, commonly known as proton sponge (PS), as an effective, novel organocatalyst for PET glycolysis. Use of PS enables an 89% bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET) yield after only 45 min at 180 °C using 10 equiv. EG and 20 mol% catalyst. The aromaticity of PS allows for a shortened induction time by improving PET swelling compared to comparably basic non-aromatic catalysts such as tributylamine and pempidine. PS glycolysis obeyed pseudo first-order kinetics (R2 > 0.98) with an apparent activation energy of 126.3 kJ/mol. Depolymerisation catalysed by PS is shown to be tolerant of air, a reduced catalyst loading of 5 mol% and was demonstrated at 10 g scale, giving a 64% BHET isolated yield (>99% purity). A range of aromatic amines, structurally related to PS, were synthesised and investigated to provide a deeper understanding and mechanistic insights into the reactivity of this class of amine catalyst.