Considering the problems in the traditional chemical recovery technology, such as harsh reaction conditions, long degradation time and complex separation and purification process, a new waste PET degradation technology with independent intellectual property rights was developed by R&D Team of CEGT Center, and a thousand ton industrial demonstration device for catalytic degradation waste PET was successfully established and operated. The monomer product obtained by degradation has high purity, which can be used not only for the production of food grade recycled PET, but also as the raw material for the preparation of high value-added products, such as unsaturated resin and polyurethane adhesive.

IPE has carried out many years of cooperation with foreign countries in the field of PET recycling. As early as 2012, Suojiang Zhang, the Academician/director of IPE (Director of CEGT Center), visited professor Martin Atkins in Queen's University Belfast in the UK, school of chemical engineering. After that, professor Atkins visited IPE many times, and signed a cooperation agreement in October 2018. In 2019, the R&D Team of CEGT Center carried out the optimization and amplification of PET cycle process in the UK. The two sides jointly carried out experiments in the laboratory of Wellington R&D center and depolymerized PET samples in the UK, which achieved the expected results. Professor Atkins was honored by the Chinese ambassador Xiaoming Liu with an International Exchange Medal for his substantial cooperation and outstanding results in the field of PET recycling. In April 2020, professor Atkins wrote to inform us that the recycled products obtained by applying the Chinese PET recycling process had been tested by Alpek, the world's largest PET producer, and the recycled PET met all quality requirements. Thus, both sides will work together to promote the international application of this technology. The British side has started preliminary plan for a 10,000 ton/year recycled PET production plant in Teesside, UK, and has prepared 14,000 tons of waste PET feedstock to supply 5,000 recycled PET bottles to Coca-Cola and P&G. We expect to move forward with the construction of an industrial production unit as soon as the COVID-19 epidemic is over.

Figure 1. Partner Professor Martin was Received an Interview by Ambassador 

Xiaoming Liu and Received the Medal of Honor