The invention discloses a method for preparing 1, 4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (CHDA) from waste PET plastic and preparing 1, 4-
cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) through
hydrogenolysis, and belongs to the technical field of high-value conversion of waste plastic. According to the method, water is taken as a green reaction medium, and the waste PET plastic is subjected to two-step catalytic reaction to realize high-value conversion: step one, the waste PET is catalyzed by a specific catalyst in the water medium, a
depolymerization hydrogenation reaction is completed at 180-210 DEG C to generate CHDA, the concentration of a
PET substrate is controlled at 1.2%-15%, the
hydrogen pressure is 1-3 MPa, and the reaction is performed for 3-13 h; and 2, carrying out
hydrogenolysis reaction on the separated and purified CHDA at 200-230 DEG C under the action of a special catalyst to obtain CHDM, and reacting for 30-60 minutes under the
hydrogen pressure of 2-5 MPa. Under the optimal reaction condition, the final
molar yield of CHDM can reach 81%, and the separation purity reaches up to 99.5%; the highest
molar yield of the
intermediate product CHDA can reach 90%, and the
intermediate product CHDA is a high-added-value
polyester monomer and can be separated independently. According to the method, closed-loop high-valued circulation of the waste PET is achieved, white
pollution is relieved, fossil resources are replaced to prepare high-end chemical raw materials, the catalyst can be regenerated and reused, environmental benefits,
economic benefits and industrial application value are achieved, technological operation is flexible, and
product diversity is high.