Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Plastics recycling

Closing the loop on mixed polyester recycling

Nature Chemical Engineering volume 2, pages 531–532 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Chemical recycling of mixed polyester waste presents a monumental challenge for achieving a circular plastics economy due to material incompatibility and contamination. Now, a catalytic methanolysis process demonstrates a scalable, efficient and selective method for recycling mixed polyester waste.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Closed-loop catalytic methanolysis of mixed polyester waste.

References

  1. Van Geem, K. M. Science 381, 607–608 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Jehanno, C. et al. Nature 603, 803–814 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Schyns, Z. O. G. & Shaver, M. P. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 42, 2000415 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Van Camp, N., Lase, I. S., De Meester, S., Hoozée, S. & Ragaert, K. Waste Manage. 189, 300–313 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Payne, J. & Jones, M. D. ChemSusChem 14, 4041–4070 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Curley, J. B. et al. Nat. Chem. Eng. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-025-00275-x (2025).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Clarke, R. W. et al. Mater. Adv. 5, 6690–6701 (2024).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the ERC under the European Union’s Horizon research and innovation programme, grant agreement 101142065.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Chemical Technology (LCT), Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Architecture, Ghent University, Zwijnaarde, Belgium

    Kevin M. Van Geem

Authors
  1. Kevin M. Van Geem
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin M. Van Geem.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Van Geem, K.M. Closing the loop on mixed polyester recycling. Nat Chem Eng 2, 531–532 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-025-00278-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-025-00278-8

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing