Abstract
Plastic accumulation in the environment is of global concern due to its increase in consumption, recalcitrant nature, and type of material used for its manufacturing. Aromatic polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the synthetic plastic which is frequently used in packaging industry, yarn industry, tape recorders, and videos. Plastic bottles have been expanded widely due to high resistance against any breakage, temperature, and having cheaper price in comparison with other packaging materials like metals and glass. This chapter aim is to present a brief description of the PET, its chemistry, synthesis, and commercial manufacturing. Furthermore, plastic pollution and its environmental impact, its levels in different environment, and its conventional handling methods have been discussed. In addition, this chapter also covers the mechanism and methods of PET waste recycling using different catalyst, microbial degradation methods, and its proposed pathways.
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Gaur, N., Chowdhary, R., Brunwal, D., Singh, R., Maitra, S.S. (2020). Degradation of Plastic in Environment and Its Implications with Special Reference to Aromatic Polyesters. In: Hussain, C. (eds) Handbook of Environmental Materials Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58538-3_176-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58538-3_176-1
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