PETE polyethylene terephthalate

PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) Most clear beverage bottles (used by many, including Dasani and Crystal Geyser) Best used in moderation recycle after one use. 

Perhaps the most important polyester is polyethylene terephthalate), commonly known as PET (or PETE 1 on plastic beverage bottles). The annual production of PET in the United States is of the order of 108 kg (105 metric tons). Much of this is converted into fabric (trade name, Dacron) or magnetically coated film (Mylar). 

When you must use plastics, choose 2 high-density polyethylene (HDPE), 4 low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and 5 polypropylene (PP). These types of plastics are not known to leach harmful chemicals. Avoid 3 polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 6 polystyrene (PS), and 7 polycarbonate. Plastic bottles made from 1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) are for single, not multiple, use. 

PETE (or PET) Polyethylene Terephthalate HOPE High Density Polyethylene V (or PVC) Polyvinyl Chloride LDPE Low Density Polyethylene (Includes LLDPE) PP Polypropylene PS Polystyrene OTHER... 

Polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PETE or simply 1, is a form of polyester often used to make bottles and jars to contain food. When collected, it is ground up into flakes and formed into pellets. The most common use for recycled PETE is the manufacture of polyester carpets. But it may also be spun into a cotton-candy-like form that can be used as a fiber filling for pillows or sleeping bags. It may also be rolled into thin sheets or ribbons and used as tapes for VCRs or tape decks. Reuse to produce bottles and jars is also common. 

Each time a pair of molecules reacts using one functional group from each, a new molecule is formed that still has two reactive groups. The product formed in this reaction is polyethylene terephthalate, or PETE. 

Plastics make up only about 8 percent of the volume in the average landfill but represent a huge investment of energy and raw materials. Most plastics produced from petroleum materials by polymerization of monomers such as ethylene or vinyl chloride are thermoplastic materials and can be cleaned, melted, and re-formed. Thermosetting plastics can also be cut into pieces that are mixed with other plastics or used as fillers. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) are the most widely reused plastic materials, but polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene, and polystyrene account for 5 percent of the recycled plastics. In 2001 80 million pounds (36 milfion kilograms) of plastics were recycled in the United States. Recycled plastic materials are used in the production of bottles, fabrics, flowerpots, furniture, plastic lumber, injection molded crates, and automobile parts. 

Figure 22.17 shows unbreakable childrens toys that are made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is synthesized by polymerizing ethene under pressure. Ethene is also the starting product for polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), a plastic that is used to make bottles. When made into fiber, it is called polyester fiber. 

The SPI system was controversial from its inception. The proposal initially called for the code for polyethylene terephthalate to be PET. However, it had to be changed to PETE to avoid trademark infringement. 

In 1926, United States-based E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. initiated research in the field of very large molecules and synthetic fibers. This early research, headed by W.H. Carothers, concentrated on polymer which became nylon, the first synthetic fiber. Soon after, in the years 1939 1, John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson, employees of the Calico Printer s Association of Manchester, patented "polyethylene terephthalate" (also called PET or PETE) in 1941. Polyethylene terephthalate is the basis of synthetic fibers such as polyester, dacron, and terylene. In 1946, du Pont purchased the right to produce this polyester fiber in the United States. The company conducted some further developmental work, and in 1951, began to market the fiber under the name Dacron. Dupont s polyester research led to a whole range of trade-marked products, such as Mylar (1952), which is an extraordinarily strong polyester (PET) film, and others. 

For many years the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) in the United States has romoted a voluntary coding system for the identification of the resins used in rigid plastic containers. The system comprising a number 1 to 7 and several letters is generally moulded into the bottom of a container. For example, the number 1 and the letters PETE indicates that the container is made of polyethylene terephthalate while the number 2 and the letters HDPE signify that the container is comprised of high density polyethylene. Thirty-nine U.S. states have mandated that plastic bottles 16 ounces or more and other rigid plastic containers of 8 ounces or more must carry the SPI resin code. 

Of the six common plastics that are currently being recycled, only one, polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), is a polyester formed by step-growth processes. The others. 

It can be seen that most containers and almost aU film materials arc potentially includwi in the 6 categories. There are several cautionary points to be observed. Except for poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, containers arc not the predominant use for any one polymer. For poly (vinyl chloride), PVC, consumer-indentifiable containers are less than 10% of the total. TTie identification on products is not always very prominently displayed. It can take some effort to ascertain that a given grocery bag is either No. 2 (HDPE), high-density polyethylene, or No. 4 (LDPE), low-density polyethylene. And there is a problem with composite products. Even the symbol on the base of a 2-liter soda bottle is somewhat ambiguous. The symbol is No. 1 (PETE). While it is true that the clear bottle is, indeed, PET, the base (placwi over the round bottom of the bottle) is itself No. 2 (HDPE). Also, the bottle usually will contain small amounts of paper (label) and poly(vinyl acetate) (adhesive) in addition to a metal cap with a copolymer liner. 

---