Spectroscopic investigation of end products obtained by ammonolysis of poly (ethylene terephthalate) waste in the presence of zinc acetate as a catalyst

The effect of catalyst on the degradation of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste by ammonolysis was investigated at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. The products obtained by ammonolysis in the presence and absence of catalyst were separated and characterized by spectroscopic techniques namely FTIR and Mass Spectrometry (MS) together with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA). The end products were characterized as 1, 4-benzene dicarboxamide in both the cases and were found to be same throughout the course of reaction. The absence of peak for PET and appearance of peak for 1, 4-benzene dicarboxamide in the FTIR spectra of end product along with MS, SEM and thermal analysis confirms the completion of the reaction. The results show that the catalyst cut shorts the time of completion of reaction from 45 to 15 days only.