DESPOLIMERIZACIÓN QUIMICA DE PET MEDIANTE LA INCORPORACIÓN MECANICA DE Mn EN ZnO OBTENIDO DE PILAS AGOTADAS

JORGE SAMBETH; GALLEGOS, M.V.; FUENTES CYNTIA; IGNACIO PEREZ DE BERTI; MARCOS MEYER; ANDRES PELUSO; DAMONTE, LAURA C.

Natal

Congreso; XXVIII CONGRESSO IBERO-AMERICANO DE CATÁLISE; 2022

Mn doped ZnO powders were obtained by mechanical milling, a simple and economic method, usingrecovered oxides from waste batteries as starting materials. Structural and morphological properties of the solids were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. A red shift in the absorption spectra from DRS-UV-visible spectroscopy due to Mn doping in ZnO was observed. The optical results confirm our previous theoretical outcomes that Mn doping gives place to new electronic states in the band gap. These findings reveal the important role played by the interaction between doped atoms and vacancies on the interesting properties observed. The catalytic activity of the solids in the glycolysis reaction of PET was evaluated by the yield to the PET monomer, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), which reached 80% for the sample with highest Mn concentration and longest milling time. The results show that the catalytic activity is a function of the crystal size and the oxygen vacancies formation.