Three-phases bubble column to polyethylene terephthalate depolymerization for cement mortar composites improvement

Purpose This paper aims to prepare depolymerized polyethylene terephthalate (DPET) powder from recycled plastic water bottles. Adding this DPET powder to the cement mortar was also studied. Design/methodology/approach The adopted PET depolymerization process includes the usage of both ethylene glycol (EG) as solvent and nano-MgO as a catalyst. A bubble column reactor was designed for this process. Five different mortar groups were made; each has different DPET content of 0%, 1%, 3%, 6% and 9% as a sand replacement. The flexural strength test and the water absorption measurement are done after two curing periods: 7 and 28 days. Findings The research finding demonstrated that the flexural strength of mortar was reduced by increasing the DPET powder percentage and the maximum dropping was 15% when 9% of DPET was added. The ability of the mortar to absorb the water was reduced by 14.5% when DPET powder was 9%. The mortar microstructure is featured with fewer cavities and porosity. Research limitations/implications This work’s employed bubble column technique is limited only to the laboratory environment and needs to be scaled up within industrial mass production. For future research, it is suggested to decrease depolymerization time by using smaller pieces of plastic water bottle waste and trying other types of nanocatalyst. Practical implications The modified mortar can be utilized in areas where moisture, rainfalls, and sanitation systems exist. Originality/value The article claims that depolymerized waste PET improves chemical process efficiency by lowering reaction time and improving mass and heat transfer rates. Besides, this approach saves money. It is found out that the depolymerized plastic waste is much more functional due to its high cohesion capability than being used as small PET pieces.