Preparation of Polyester from Wastepaper Liquefied by Ethylene Glycol

Polyester was prepared through the esterification reaction between watsepaper liquefied by ethylene glycol and carboxylic acid. Liquefaction was carried out at the previously determined condition of 100 minutes, $160^{\circ}C$, and 3% sulfuric acid, and the hydroxyl value of the liquefied product was 411 mg KOH/g. In order to remove bubbles produced during the curing step, the method to introduce a slight nitrogen stream into reaction vessel and/or the method to preheat a polyester film at $85^{\circ}C$ before curing step were used alone or in combination. But if curing temperature was $130^{\circ}C$, simple method to cure a film for 5 hours at $130^{\circ}C$ without using both methods was found to be most effective. The polyesters prepared with various carboxylic acids showed significant different physical properties, and maleic acid was best among them. Also, the effect of reaction time and temperature, C/H (carboxyl group/hydroxyl group) ratio, and type of additive on the crosslinkage of polyester was investigated. Lithium hydroxide or citric acid as additive was used to enhance the crosslinkage of polyester and citric acid was proved to be much more effective than lithium hydroxide. The effect of reaction temperature on the crosslinkage was marginal, but the crosslinkage decreased above $130^{\circ}C$. The crosslinkage was 86% when the polyester was prepared at an optimum condition such as $130^{\circ}C$ and 15 minutes of reaction condition, 1.5 of C/H ratio, $130^{\circ}C$ and 5 hours of curing condition, and 10% addition of citric acid.

Ethylene glycol에 의해 액화된 폐지로부터 polyester 제조