Provided is a method of depolymerizing polyesters from post-
consumer products, such as beverage bottles, to produce a high purity
reaction product. For the
depolymerization reaction, the polyesters are reacted with an
alcohol having 2 to 5 carbons and an amine organocatalyst at a temperature of about 150° C. to about 250° C. In one application, the use an organocatalyst with a
boiling point significantly lower than the
boiling point of the reactant
alcohol allows for the ready recycling of the amine organocatalyst. In another application, performing the
depolymerization reaction under pressure at a temperature above that of the
alcohol allows for accelerated
depolymerization rates and the
recovery of the organocatalyst with no further heat input. In a further application, glycolytic depolymerization of poly(
ethylene terephthalate) (PET) from post-
consumer beverage bottles produces a pure
reaction product of bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET), which may in turn be used to produce high purity beverage
bottle grade PET, in a
closed loop process with minimal output and waste.