The behaviour of wine aroma compounds related to structure and barrier properties of virgin, recycled and active PET membranes

Design and construction of chemical-biological module clusters for degradation and assimilation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste

The rising accumulation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste presents an urgent ecological challenge, necessitating an efficient and economical treatment technology. Here, we developed chemical-biological module clusters that perform chemical pretreatment, enzymatic degradation, and microbial assimilation for the large-scale treatment of PET waste. This module cluster included (i) a chemical pretreatment that involves incorporating polycaprolactone (PCL) at a weight ratio of 2% (PET:PCL = 98:2) into PET via mechanical blending, which effectively reduces the crystallinity and enhances degradation; (ii) enzymatic degradation using Thermobifida fusca cutinase variant (4Mz), that achieves complete degradation of pretreated PET at 300 g/L PET, with an enzymatic loading of 1 mg protein per gram of PET; and (iii) microbial assimilation, where Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 metabolizes the degradation products, assimilating each monomer at a rate above 90%. A comparative life cycle assessment demonstrated that the carbon emissions from our module clusters (0.25 kg CO2-eq/kg PET) are lower than those from other established approaches. This study pioneers a closed-loop system that seamlessly incorporates pretreatment, degradation, and assimilation processes, thus mitigating the environmental impacts of PET waste and propelling the development of a circular PET economy.

Characterization and quality assessment of recycled post-consumption poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)

In the present study, the recycled post-consumption polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flakes were investigated as possible raw materials for the production of food packaging. After heating at 220 °C for 1 h, a steaming stage was conducted as a control test to assess the quality of the product. Different samples were characterized by ¹H-NMR, FT-IR, DSC/TGA analysis, viscosity index (VI), and trace metals analysis. The results showed that the recycled post-consumed PET flakes' properties were generally conform to the standard norms of PET except the color of some flakes turned to yellow. Subsequently, a complementary study was undertaken to assess whether the material could be possibly reused for food packaging. For this purpose, rheological, thermal, and mechanical characterizations were performed. The results of the comparative study between the virgin and the recycled PET flakes concluded that the PET recycling affected the rheological properties but did not have any significant effect on their thermal and mechanical characteristics. Hence, it was deduced that the post-consumed PET flakes could be reused as a packaging material except food products.

The use of active PET to package rosé wine: Changes of aromatic profile by chemical evolution and by transfers

Active Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles containing 1 or 3% of oxygen scavenger (named 1osPET and 3osPET) were used to pack rosé wine. Changes in the aromatic profiles were monitored during 12months and compared to those of a wine packed in glass bottles. Wine in 1osPET bottles was differentiated from wine in glass or 3osPET bottles by ten aging markers such as cis-dioxane, ethyl pyruvate or furfural. Only trans-1,3-dioxolane allowed to discriminate wine in glass and in 3osPET bottles. Methionol, an oxygen sensitive aroma compound, was preserved in glass and 3osPET bottles but was slightly degraded (15%) in 1osPET bottles. Chemical reactions were the main cause of the aroma compound degradation. Indeed, the total amount of compounds sorbed only reached 160μg considering the bottles and the joint of cap after 12months of storage. The use of PET with 3% of oxygen scavenger is adapted to pack wine for at least 12months.